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Yemen foes resume direct talks after mediation: UN

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Yemen's warring parties resumed face-to-face talks on Monday following a two-day interruption after mediation efforts and an appeal by the UN envoy, the United Nations said.

A UN spokesman told AFP that three joint working groups formed last week met on Monday afternoon in an attempt to resume discussion of the key issues.

These include the withdrawal of the Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels from areas they occupied in a 2014 offensive, the surrender of weapons, the release of prisoners and detainees and agreeing a political settlement.

Hours after the talks resumed, Saudi air defences intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen.

The Arab coalition backing the Yemeni government made the announcement and slammed a "dangerous escalation" by the Huthis.

The coalition is cooperating with the international community "to maintain calm and help the Kuwait talks to succeed", a statement said.

UN Special Envoy to Yemen  Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed (R)  talks with UN spokesman Charbel Raji during...
UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed (R), talks with UN spokesman Charbel Raji during a press conference on May 5, 2016 at the information ministry in Kuwait City
Yasser al-Zayyat, AFP

But it also warned that the coalition "reserves the right to retaliate at the appropriate time and place" if there are further attacks.

The renewed direct talks came a day after mediation by the Kuwaiti foreign minister, ambassadors of the mostly Western 18 countries backing the peace process and UN Special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

Earlier on Monday, Ould Cheikh Ahmed urged the two warring parties to make concessions to save peace talks aimed at ending a devastating 13-month war in the Arabian Peninsula country.

"The participants in the Kuwait negotiations must reflect the aspirations of the Yemeni people. I am confident that Yemenis want an end to the conflict," Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement.

- Trading blame -

Direct talks broke off on Saturday with the government delegation complaining of a lack of progress and the Huthi rebels protesting about air raids by the Saudi-led Arab coalition.

A source close to the government delegation said the resumption of direct talks came as a result of international diplomatic pressure on the rebels.

Yemeni loyalist forces gather at the scene of a suicide attack on April 28  2016 in Aden
Yemeni loyalist forces gather at the scene of a suicide attack on April 28, 2016 in Aden
Saleh al-Obeidi, AFP/File

But the source also told AFP that no progress was made at Monday's meetings.

A source close to the rebel delegation said it was due to meet the ambassadors of the 18 countries later in the day.

Yemen's foreign minister said the talks which began on April 21 have made no headway.

"For the sake of peace, we have accepted all proposals submitted to us in order to progress," said Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi, who heads the government delegation.

"But after three weeks, we have nothing in our hands because the other party backed down on its commitments," Mikhlafi wrote on Twitter.

The rebels issued a strong protest to the UN envoy over alleged air raids Sunday that they said killed several people, according to a source close to their delegation.

Armed Yemeni tribesmen fire as they hold a position in the area of Sirwah  west of Marib city  on De...
Armed Yemeni tribesmen fire as they hold a position in the area of Sirwah, west of Marib city, on December 18, 2015
Abdullah al-Qadry, AFP/File

There was no immediate confirmation of the reported air strikes.

The rebels and their allies have demanded the formation of a consensus transitional government before forging ahead with other issues that require them to surrender arms and withdraw from territories they occupied in 2014.

The talks, which come after two failed peace attempts in June and December last year in Switzerland, are based on a UN Security Council resolution which orders the rebels to withdraw and surrender heavy weaponry they had seized.

There has been mounting international pressure to end the Yemen conflict that the United Nations estimates has killed more than 6,400 people and displaced 2.8 million since March last year.

Yemen’s warring parties resumed face-to-face talks on Monday following a two-day interruption after mediation efforts and an appeal by the UN envoy, the United Nations said.

A UN spokesman told AFP that three joint working groups formed last week met on Monday afternoon in an attempt to resume discussion of the key issues.

These include the withdrawal of the Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels from areas they occupied in a 2014 offensive, the surrender of weapons, the release of prisoners and detainees and agreeing a political settlement.

Hours after the talks resumed, Saudi air defences intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen.

The Arab coalition backing the Yemeni government made the announcement and slammed a “dangerous escalation” by the Huthis.

The coalition is cooperating with the international community “to maintain calm and help the Kuwait talks to succeed”, a statement said.

UN Special Envoy to Yemen  Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed (R)  talks with UN spokesman Charbel Raji during...

UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed (R), talks with UN spokesman Charbel Raji during a press conference on May 5, 2016 at the information ministry in Kuwait City
Yasser al-Zayyat, AFP

But it also warned that the coalition “reserves the right to retaliate at the appropriate time and place” if there are further attacks.

The renewed direct talks came a day after mediation by the Kuwaiti foreign minister, ambassadors of the mostly Western 18 countries backing the peace process and UN Special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

Earlier on Monday, Ould Cheikh Ahmed urged the two warring parties to make concessions to save peace talks aimed at ending a devastating 13-month war in the Arabian Peninsula country.

“The participants in the Kuwait negotiations must reflect the aspirations of the Yemeni people. I am confident that Yemenis want an end to the conflict,” Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement.

– Trading blame –

Direct talks broke off on Saturday with the government delegation complaining of a lack of progress and the Huthi rebels protesting about air raids by the Saudi-led Arab coalition.

A source close to the government delegation said the resumption of direct talks came as a result of international diplomatic pressure on the rebels.

Yemeni loyalist forces gather at the scene of a suicide attack on April 28  2016 in Aden

Yemeni loyalist forces gather at the scene of a suicide attack on April 28, 2016 in Aden
Saleh al-Obeidi, AFP/File

But the source also told AFP that no progress was made at Monday’s meetings.

A source close to the rebel delegation said it was due to meet the ambassadors of the 18 countries later in the day.

Yemen’s foreign minister said the talks which began on April 21 have made no headway.

“For the sake of peace, we have accepted all proposals submitted to us in order to progress,” said Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi, who heads the government delegation.

“But after three weeks, we have nothing in our hands because the other party backed down on its commitments,” Mikhlafi wrote on Twitter.

The rebels issued a strong protest to the UN envoy over alleged air raids Sunday that they said killed several people, according to a source close to their delegation.

Armed Yemeni tribesmen fire as they hold a position in the area of Sirwah  west of Marib city  on De...

Armed Yemeni tribesmen fire as they hold a position in the area of Sirwah, west of Marib city, on December 18, 2015
Abdullah al-Qadry, AFP/File

There was no immediate confirmation of the reported air strikes.

The rebels and their allies have demanded the formation of a consensus transitional government before forging ahead with other issues that require them to surrender arms and withdraw from territories they occupied in 2014.

The talks, which come after two failed peace attempts in June and December last year in Switzerland, are based on a UN Security Council resolution which orders the rebels to withdraw and surrender heavy weaponry they had seized.

There has been mounting international pressure to end the Yemen conflict that the United Nations estimates has killed more than 6,400 people and displaced 2.8 million since March last year.

AFP
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With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

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