Al Mukalla: The Yemeni government said it was not consulted on a new agreement between the Saudi-led Arab coalition and Al Houthis and vowed to reject peace plans that suggest resignation of Yemen president and his vice president before ending Al Houthis’ coup.

Foreign minister Abdul Malik Al Mekhlafi said yesterday that the internationally recognised government would not abide by any agreement that neglects his government. “We are not concerned with any agreement that we are not part of,” he said on his official Twitter feed. Al Mekhlafi was responding to US Secretary of State John Kerry’s remark that the Iran-backed Al Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition have agreed to declare a ceasefire starting on November 17. “He wants to claim an achievement for his administration in its last months,” Al Mekhlafi said in another angry remark on Sky News Arabiya TV.

Kerry told reporters in the UAE that “all” parties have agreed to form a unity government by the end of the year. President Abd Rabbo Mansour and his government previously rejected a peace plan proposed by the UN envoy to Yemen that demands president Hadi pass power to a new vice president.

He said Al Houthis have agreed to “abide by the terms of the April 10 cessation of hostilities... provided the other party implements the same commitment and thus far the Emiratis and the Saudis...they have both agreed to try to move forward with this.” He was referring to a ceasefire that began in April and lasted through August.

The government said they wanted to see Al Houthis out of cities under their control and disarmed before agreeing to form a shared government.

“Al Houthis want to get rid of vice president Ali Mohsen Al Ahmar through this plan,” a senior government official who took part in the latest round of peace talks in Kuwait told Gulf News. Ali Mohsen Al Ahmar is the second in command of the army and a powerful army general who battled Al Houthis in six wars. Analysts believe that Kerry is making a last-ditch attempt to rescue the UN peace plan that was rejected by all warring factions.

Ali Al Fakih, editor of Al Masdar newspaper told Gulf News that all peace plans that bypass the government would not come out well.

“I think Kerry wants to breathe life into the UN peace plan before leaving office.” he said.