UN Envoy to Yemen welcomes steps towards new ceasefire

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The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, welcomed on Saturday the commitment of the conflict’s parties to a set of measures to implement a nationwide ceasefire and improve living conditions in Yemen.

The UN envoy also considered that preparations for the resumption of a UN-brokered comprehensive political process are a positive step, adding that he “will work with the parties to develop a road map including these commitments and supporting their implementation.”

“The roadmap that United Nations drawn up will include, among other elements, the parties’ commitment to implementing a nationwide ceasefire, paying all public sector salaries, resuming oil exports, opening roads in Taiz and other parts of Yemen, and continuing to ease restrictions imposed on Sana’a Airport and Hodeida Port,” according to Grundberg. “The road map will also establish implementation mechanisms and prepare for a political process with Yemeni specificity under the auspices of the United Nations.”

These measures that the UN envoy announced were the result of a series of meetings with the Yemeni parties in Riyadh and Muscat, during which he met with the head of the Saudi-formed Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, and the head of the negotiating delegation for the Sana’a government, Mohammed Abdul-Salam.

Grundberg appreciated the role of Oman in supporting the two parties to reach this point, urging all parties to exercise maximum restraint at this critical time to provide an environment conducive to dialogue and successfully reach an agreement on the roadmap.

“Thirty million Yemenis are watching and waiting for this new opportunity to achieve tangible results and progress towards lasting peace,” he added.