Yemen: UN-mediated peace talks continue following trilateral meeting with Ban in Qatar

In Qatar over the weekend, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon participated in a trilateral meeting with the Amir of Qatar and President Hadi of Yemen, which the Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, also attended, according to a statement issued by  Ban’s office.

To President Hadi, the Secretary-General underlined that peace negotiations are rarely smooth, but that there was a need for “commitment and perseverance” by all sides.

“He said he strongly hoped that the talks that will shortly resume in Kuwait will lead to concrete results, and he appreciated Qatar’s support,” said the statement, which is dated 21 May.

During the meeting,  Ban also requested the special envoy to respond to the recent letter received from the Government of Yemen. At the time, the President of Yemen confirmed that he would send the Government’s delegation back to the talks as requested by the Amir of Qatar and the Secretary-General, according to the statement.

The Secretary-General added that, in parallel to the peace talks, all parties needed to redouble their efforts to provide and facilitate humanitarian and other supplies, including fuel, to alleviate the “appalling living conditions” of millions of Yemeni citizens, the statement said.

On Monday,  Ould Cheikh Ahmed expressed his gratitude to the Yemeni Government for the decision to return to the negotiating table and called on all the parties to make progress, in order to alleviate the burden placed on the Yemeni people.

“Peace talks are always complicated and require time; however I urge the Yemeni parties to exert all possible effort to reach a sustainable peace agreement in the near future. Any delay wastes time and causes the tragic losses,” he said.

Photo: UNICEF/Mohamed Hamoud

Source: www.justearthnews.com