Formation of Houthi Government 'New Obstacle' to Peace in Yemen UN Envoy

The United Nations envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed described the recent announcement by Houthis and the ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh of the creation of a new Government as "a new and unnecessary obstacle" to peace in Yemen.

    The UN envoy urged the parties 'to re-think their approach and demonstrate their commitment to the peace process with concrete actions." In a statement issued Wednesday, the UN Envoy said that a proposal to form a new government in the capital, Sana'a, goes against the interests of Yemeni people, and contradicts the recent commitments provided by both sides to the UN.

    He added that Yemen is at a critical juncture and that the actions recently taken by Houthis and Saleh's supporters will only complicate the search for a peaceful solution. "The parties must hold Yemen's national interests above narrow partisan ambitions and take immediate steps to end political divisions and address the country's security, humanitarian and economic challenges," he said in the statement. 

    "New political arrangements should only be based on UN sponsored negotiations and not unilateral actions by any side," said Ould Cheikh Ahmed, referring to the talks he had been facilitating between the sides.

    "I urge all parties to recommit to and fully respect the terms and conditions of the Cessation of Hostilities, which will include a complete halt to ground and air military activities and allow the increased flow of humanitarian assistance," he said, calling on all sides to resume working through the De-Escalation and Coordination Committee to facilitate the strengthening of the pause in hostilities.

Source: QNA