Grundberg: Road opening is an essential element of the armistice

English - Thursday 26 May 2022 الساعة 08:10 pm
Aden, NewsYemen:

 The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said on Wednesday that the opening of roads is an "essential component of the truce."

 In a statement, the office of the UN envoy indicated that representatives of the Yemeni government and the Houthis had started negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations in the Jordanian capital, Amman, to agree on opening roads in Taiz and other governorates.

The statement quoted Grundberg as calling on the parties to "negotiate in good faith to urgently reach an agreement facilitating freedom of movement and improving conditions for civilians."

The UN envoy pointed out that preparations are currently underway to resume commercial flights between Sanaa and Cairo, expressing his gratitude to the Egyptian government for its cooperation in facilitating commercial flights from Sanaa to Cairo and its active support for the efforts made by the United Nations to bring about peace.

Grundberg also called on the parties to "exercise the highest degree of restraint to maintain the truce and fulfill their obligations under international law to protect civilians," stressing that he will work with the parties within the coordination mechanisms that established the truce to reduce escalation.

He said that Yemen "has witnessed, since the start of the truce, a significant decrease in the intensity of the fighting, accompanied by a sharp decrease in the number of civilian casualties."

However, he pointed out in his statement that "there are worrying reports of continued fighting and civilian casualties in some parts of Yemen during the past weeks."

He added, "Under the armistice, the parties are committed to working on an agreement that alleviates the suffering of Yemenis in Taiz and other governorates."