Dubai: The Special UN Envoy to Yemen stressed on Thursday the importance of releasing prisoners in Yemen before Ramadan.
In a statement obtained by Al Arabiya, Esmail Ould Shaikh Ahmad said he hoped the issue would not be exploited for political gain.
“We urge parties to implement this proposal and adhere to goodwil and national duty to support the path of peace and reunite families in the holy month. There shouldn’t be political grandstanding at the expensive of the detainees,” he said.
He welcomed the recent prisoner exchange between Yemeni forces and Iran-backed Al Houthis in the city of Taiz and expressed hope that more detainees would be released soon.
His remarks came after a final agreement on prisoner exchanges was reached on Wednesday night.
Prisoner exchanges have proved to be successful in the past and have been used as a confidence-building measure.
In March, Saudi Arabia exchanged prisoners with Al Houthis which resulted in a successful calming on the Yemeni-Saudi border.
Seven Yemenis held by Riyadh were exchanged for a detained Saudi lieutenant Jaber Asa’ad Al Kaabi.
A Saudi-led Arab coalition launched air strikes and a ground offensive against Al Houthis on March 26 last year after an armed offensive by the group pushed Yemen’s internationally backed government into exile.
The prisoner exchange comes as peace talks aimed at solving the conflict in Yemen continue in the Kuwaiti capital.
The talks have been met with cautious optimism but have also been marred by repeated walk-outs by the government delegation which insists that Al Houthis have not entered in good faith and wish to derail the talks.
The government delegation is insisting that Al Houthis aide by UN Security Council resolution 2216 which demands they withdraw from occupied territories and hand over their weapons. Al Houthis say that first they want to discuss a unity government. Analysts say that Al Houthis hope to use their influence in the unity government to avoid making any concessions as stipulated by the UN resolution.
On Wednesday night, Yemen’s foreign minister Abdul Malik Al Mikhlafi said that he reached a deal with the UN on a timetable for Al Houthi withdrawal and handing over of weapons. The UN will now take the proposal to the Al Houthi delegation.
