The truce spells its last hours.. Will the "Yemeni Presidential" succumb to the mood of the extension?
English - Sunday 31 July 2022 الساعة 03:28 pm
Aden, NewsYemen, editorial team:
The countdown to the end of the humanitarian truce sponsored by the United Nations in Yemen has begun, as 48 hours is the remaining time, while the extension of the truce - which began on the second of April for two months, and was later extended for two additional months - has become the master of the situation.
In recent days, Western capitals, active in the Yemeni file, have intensified pressure to pass a UN proposal to extend the armistice that expires on Tuesday, despite the Houthi group's continued refusal to implement a crucial clause in the agreement that it should have implemented four months ago.
And at the end of last week, the US special envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, spoke by phone to four members of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, and met a fifth in Riyadh, as part of a US move to get the Yemeni government to accept the extension of the armistice in its current fragile form.
The international endeavors, expressly expressed by the Western ambassadors to Yemen, the American envoy, and officials in the “Five-year Committee” on Yemen, were accompanied by an international effort to find a solution to the dilemma of the crossings and the siege of Taiz. The Houthis are still rejecting the UN proposal to open 3 closed roads for more than seven years.
The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, had rushed to the area and held meetings in Muscat with Omani officials and the Houthi delegation negotiating to reach an extension of the truce, amid indications of the possibility of this after the Houthis obtained new concessions.
In another direction, the military advisor to the UN envoy to Yemen, Anthony Hayward, met in Sana'a with representatives from the Houthi Military Coordination Committee with the aim of facilitating dialogue and continuing discussions related to de-escalation. They also discussed the steps related to preparing the joint operations room, which would limit violations and stabilize the ceasefire.
Hayward was quoted as calling on all parties to make the armistice a single package in accordance with the terms of the armistice and to ensure the alleviation of human suffering and the return of life to normal.
A dispute over the extension time
The United Nations has come a long way in extending the armistice for the second time, but it has not yet been able to extract approval for the period that should be extended, nor for the files that can be discussed during the new period, simultaneously and completing the discussions on the formation of a joint operations room that includes representatives of the coalition, the government and the Houthis to oversee the installation cease-fire.
The information says that the international mediator received initial approvals to extend the armistice, which was confirmed by the Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Farhan Haq, who explained that the international organization is also studying options to link Sanaa Airport to more destinations, in addition to Amman and Cairo, during the extension period. The new and spoke of optimism about the extension of the truce.
Despite the government side's insistence not to move to discuss any issues before completing the implementation of the terms agreed upon at the beginning of the armistice agreement, particularly with regard to opening the road to Taiz, which has been besieged for years. However, the United Nations is now negotiating the extension of the armistice, as it proposed that the new extension be six months instead of two.
What is remarkable about the truce is that the Houthis were asked only two things: a cease-fire, which the group partially implemented; Indeed, the attacks of march bombs and ballistic missiles outside the borders have already stopped, with the exception of one attack on Saudi Arabia, but it has continued to launch armed attacks inside Yemen.
The other matter is the opening of the crossings, especially Taiz, which has not happened until now, as the group did not commit to implementing this clause and obstructed three UN proposals despite having engaged in two rounds of negotiations in the Jordanian capital, Amman, and despite Grundberg’s travel to Sana’a in an effort to obtain a breakthrough with the proposals, but his proposal was rejected. .
The priority is de-escalation
In parallel with the refusal of the clause to open the main closed ports to Taiz and the rest of the governorates, the Houthis continued to commit military violations of the fragile truce in other than Yemeni regions, which prompted many Yemeni observers to question the feasibility of extending a truce that the militia is not committed to.
The same position was expressed two days ago by Sultan al-Barakani, Speaker of the House of Representatives, who met with the US ambassador to Yemen Stephen Fagin, saying that "extending the armistice before opening the main crossings is a waste of time."
Despite the escalation of military violations of the existing armistice, and with the failure to reach an agreement on opening the crossings between the governorates, in light of the Houthis’ rejection of this part, and their threat to resume attacks, the international and regional mood is pushing for an extension, this time for a period of six months, as was evident in the Union European statement .
While the UN envoy believes that the truce succeeded in reducing the military escalation to the least possible extent during the four months, despite mutual accusations, this issue (de-escalation) remains for him and for the international community the most important point in the truce, unlike opening the crossings or a commitment to The Houthis are implementing their commitments under the UN-sponsored agreement.
