Yemeni government, Al Houthis meet over Hodeida
UN-sponsored talks focus on forming panel for overseeing a faltering truce deal
Dubai: Representatives of the Yemeni government and Iran-allied Al Houthi militants were meeting Monday aboard a UN ship in the Red Sea to discuss a mechanism for enforcing a long-faltering truce in the western province of Hodeida, the Dubai-based television Al Arabiya reported.
The talks, which started Sunday off western Yemen, focus on forming a permanent joint committee for a ceasefire in Hodeida and operating a joint operation centre in the port area, the television added.
The joint truce panel will comprise UN officers as well as representatives from the government and Al Houthis, Al Arabiya reported, citing what it termed as well-informed sources.
Sub-committees will also be set up and deployed in areas in Hodeida to oversee abidance by ceasefire there.
Last December, Yemen’s internationally-recognised government and Al Houthi militants signed an agreement on pullout from Hodeida at UN-sponsored peace talks in Sweden.
The pact was seen then as a breakthrough to end a devastating years-long war in Yemen.
However, the deal has since bogged down over Al Houthis’ recalcitrance
Al Houthis had seized Hodeida in late 2014 as part of a coup against the Yemeni government.
Hodeida is strategically important because most of imports and humanitarian aid to the impoverished country come through the city’s port.