UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Wednesday urged all Yemeni parties to "fulfill commitments" made during the Dec. 15-20 peace talks, stressing that "the United Nations-brokered inclusive political dialogue must be a Yemeni-led process, with the intention of brokering a consensus-based political solution to Yemen's crisis."
The 15-nation UN body, in a statement issued to the press here, "welcomed the participation of Yemeni parties in peace consultations," held under the auspices of the United Nations, and the the council members "expressed their appreciation and reiterated their full support for the efforts of the United Nations and the special envoy of the secretary-general for Yemen.
The members of the Security Council welcomed the commitment of the parties at the talks to ensure safe, rapid and unhindered access for humanitarian aid delivery to all affected governorates including in particular Taiz, and called on the parties to respect this commitment in the future, the statement said.
"They encouraged the parties to urgently finalise agreements on the release of all non-combatant and arbitrary detainees and to finalise agreement on a package of confidence building measures."
The peace talks involved 24 Yemeni representatives and advisors in view of implementing a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, improving the humanitarian situation and returning to a peaceful and orderly political transition.
UN agencies estimate that 82 percent of the Yemeni population are currently in need of some form of humanitarian aid. More than 2,700 civilians have been killed since the start of conflict in Yemen in January.
The special envoy of the UN secretary-general for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, on Sunday announced in Switzerland the end of the latest peace talks on Yemen, saying that the parties agreed on framework for the negotiations and will meet again on Jan. 14, 2016, for a new round of talks.
According to the special envoy, the parties came together to develop a framework for detailed peace negotiations based firmly on Resolution 2216 and other relevant UN Security Council resolutions, in order to reach an end of the war and return to a peaceful, political transition.
The parties also made serious progress through identifying a framework for negotiations toward a comprehensive settlement, in addition to defining a set of relevant confidence-building measures relating to prisoner release, improved social services and improving the flow of humanitarian aid to Taizz and other Yemeni governorates, he said.
"The members of the Security Council urged the Yemeni parties to fulfil commitments made during the talks and welcomed their commitment to a new round of talks in mid January 2016, building on the progress that has been achieved so far," the statement said.
"They reaffirmed their call on Yemeni parties to engage without preconditions and in good faith, including by resolving their differences through dialogue and consultations, rejecting acts of violence to achieve political goals, and refraining from provocation and all unilateral actions to undermine the political transition," the statement said.
"The members of the Security Council strongly condemned all violence, attempts or threats to use violence to intimidate those participating in United Nations-brokered consultations and emphasized that such action is unacceptable."
"The members of the Security Council emphasized that the United Nations-brokered inclusive political dialogue must be a Yemeni-led process, with the intention of brokering a consensus-based political solution to Yemen's crisis in accordance with the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and its Implementation Mechanism, the outcomes of the comprehensive National Dialogue Conference and relevant Security Council resolutions," said the statement.
The council members expressed their support and appreciation for the efforts of the secretary-general's special envoy for Yemen, who will continue to engage with all Yemeni stakeholders to take steps towards a durable ceasefire and a mechanism for the withdrawal of forces, relinquishment of all additional arms seized from military and security institutions, release of political prisoners and the resumption of an inclusive political transition process in accordance with Security Council resolution 2216 (2015), the statement said.
"The members of the Council recognized the importance of UN ceasefire monitoring capacity to support the process," the statement said.
Meanwhile, they also expressed deep concern about the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, which continues to worsen," the statement said.
More than 80 percent of the population, 21 million people, require some form of humanitarian assistance and emphasised that the civilian impact of the conflict has been devastating, particularly for children and the 2.5 million internally displaced persons, the statement said.
"The members of the Security Council expressed particular concern at the food security situation, with over seven million people suffering severe food insecurity and a doubling in the number of children under five who are acutely malnourished," the statement said.
The Security Council "urged all parties to fulfil their commitments to facilitate the delivery of commercial goods, humanitarian assistance and fuel for civilian purposes to all parts of Yemen, as well as urgent measures to further ensure rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access," the statement said.
"They also stressed the urgent need for commercially-shipped food, medicine, fuel and other vital supplies to continue to enter Yemen through all of Yemen's ports without delay as a humanitarian imperative because of the heavy dependence of Yemen and its people on imported food and fuel."
The situation in Yemen has substantially deteriorated since the conflict broke out in early 2015, with a 9 percent increase in the internally displaced persons (IDPs), which have reached 2.5 million, according to a recent United Nations-backed report.
The ongoing crisis in conflict-stricken Yemen is reflection of a regional unrest in the Middle East, especially after the forces of fleeing President Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi seized strategic southern city of Aden against Houthi fighters, reports said.
The Shiite Houthi group launched attacks on Aden city, which President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi declared as temporary capital after he fled weeks of house arrest by the Houthis in Sanaa.
On March 26, a Saudi-led coalition started airstrikes on Houthi targets in Sanaa and other cities, saying the multinational action was to protect Hadi's legitimacy and force the Houthis to retreat from cities it seized since September 2014.
In recent days, anti-Houthi fighters have mounted a broad offensive across several northern provinces, and captured new territory, including a provincial capital. The anti-Houthi forces are backed by a Saudi-led military coalition that has been conducting an aerial campaign against the rebels since March.
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UN Security Council urges Yemeni parties to honor commitments in peace talks
English.news.cn 2015-12-24 03:33:03
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Wednesday urged all Yemeni parties to "fulfill commitments" made during the Dec. 15-20 peace talks, stressing that "the United Nations-brokered inclusive political dialogue must be a Yemeni-led process, with the intention of brokering a consensus-based political solution to Yemen's crisis."
The 15-nation UN body, in a statement issued to the press here, "welcomed the participation of Yemeni parties in peace consultations," held under the auspices of the United Nations, and the the council members "expressed their appreciation and reiterated their full support for the efforts of the United Nations and the special envoy of the secretary-general for Yemen.
The members of the Security Council welcomed the commitment of the parties at the talks to ensure safe, rapid and unhindered access for humanitarian aid delivery to all affected governorates including in particular Taiz, and called on the parties to respect this commitment in the future, the statement said.
"They encouraged the parties to urgently finalise agreements on the release of all non-combatant and arbitrary detainees and to finalise agreement on a package of confidence building measures."
The peace talks involved 24 Yemeni representatives and advisors in view of implementing a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, improving the humanitarian situation and returning to a peaceful and orderly political transition.
UN agencies estimate that 82 percent of the Yemeni population are currently in need of some form of humanitarian aid. More than 2,700 civilians have been killed since the start of conflict in Yemen in January.
The special envoy of the UN secretary-general for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, on Sunday announced in Switzerland the end of the latest peace talks on Yemen, saying that the parties agreed on framework for the negotiations and will meet again on Jan. 14, 2016, for a new round of talks.
According to the special envoy, the parties came together to develop a framework for detailed peace negotiations based firmly on Resolution 2216 and other relevant UN Security Council resolutions, in order to reach an end of the war and return to a peaceful, political transition.
The parties also made serious progress through identifying a framework for negotiations toward a comprehensive settlement, in addition to defining a set of relevant confidence-building measures relating to prisoner release, improved social services and improving the flow of humanitarian aid to Taizz and other Yemeni governorates, he said.
"The members of the Security Council urged the Yemeni parties to fulfil commitments made during the talks and welcomed their commitment to a new round of talks in mid January 2016, building on the progress that has been achieved so far," the statement said.
"They reaffirmed their call on Yemeni parties to engage without preconditions and in good faith, including by resolving their differences through dialogue and consultations, rejecting acts of violence to achieve political goals, and refraining from provocation and all unilateral actions to undermine the political transition," the statement said.
"The members of the Security Council strongly condemned all violence, attempts or threats to use violence to intimidate those participating in United Nations-brokered consultations and emphasized that such action is unacceptable."
"The members of the Security Council emphasized that the United Nations-brokered inclusive political dialogue must be a Yemeni-led process, with the intention of brokering a consensus-based political solution to Yemen's crisis in accordance with the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and its Implementation Mechanism, the outcomes of the comprehensive National Dialogue Conference and relevant Security Council resolutions," said the statement.
The council members expressed their support and appreciation for the efforts of the secretary-general's special envoy for Yemen, who will continue to engage with all Yemeni stakeholders to take steps towards a durable ceasefire and a mechanism for the withdrawal of forces, relinquishment of all additional arms seized from military and security institutions, release of political prisoners and the resumption of an inclusive political transition process in accordance with Security Council resolution 2216 (2015), the statement said.
"The members of the Council recognized the importance of UN ceasefire monitoring capacity to support the process," the statement said.
Meanwhile, they also expressed deep concern about the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, which continues to worsen," the statement said.
More than 80 percent of the population, 21 million people, require some form of humanitarian assistance and emphasised that the civilian impact of the conflict has been devastating, particularly for children and the 2.5 million internally displaced persons, the statement said.
"The members of the Security Council expressed particular concern at the food security situation, with over seven million people suffering severe food insecurity and a doubling in the number of children under five who are acutely malnourished," the statement said.
The Security Council "urged all parties to fulfil their commitments to facilitate the delivery of commercial goods, humanitarian assistance and fuel for civilian purposes to all parts of Yemen, as well as urgent measures to further ensure rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access," the statement said.
"They also stressed the urgent need for commercially-shipped food, medicine, fuel and other vital supplies to continue to enter Yemen through all of Yemen's ports without delay as a humanitarian imperative because of the heavy dependence of Yemen and its people on imported food and fuel."
The situation in Yemen has substantially deteriorated since the conflict broke out in early 2015, with a 9 percent increase in the internally displaced persons (IDPs), which have reached 2.5 million, according to a recent United Nations-backed report.
The ongoing crisis in conflict-stricken Yemen is reflection of a regional unrest in the Middle East, especially after the forces of fleeing President Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi seized strategic southern city of Aden against Houthi fighters, reports said.
The Shiite Houthi group launched attacks on Aden city, which President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi declared as temporary capital after he fled weeks of house arrest by the Houthis in Sanaa.
On March 26, a Saudi-led coalition started airstrikes on Houthi targets in Sanaa and other cities, saying the multinational action was to protect Hadi's legitimacy and force the Houthis to retreat from cities it seized since September 2014.
In recent days, anti-Houthi fighters have mounted a broad offensive across several northern provinces, and captured new territory, including a provincial capital. The anti-Houthi forces are backed by a Saudi-led military coalition that has been conducting an aerial campaign against the rebels since March.
