Yemen Peace Talks to Convene December 15: Report
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – United Nations-backed peace talks aimed at ending eight months of civil war in Yemen between Houthis and supporters of fugitive ex-President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi will convene on Dec. 15, sources loyal to Hadi said on Sunday.
"Consultations on the implementation of Resolution 2216 will be held on Dec. 15," Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi, who was recently named as the foreign minister for the fugitive former government told Saudi-owned TV on Saunday, referring to a UN Security Council adopted on March, Reuters reported.
The UN envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, met Mansour Hadi on Saturday to discuss prospects for peace talks, the former president's office said.
Forces loyal to Hadi backed by mainly Persian Gulf Arab states have been locked in eight months of civil war with the Houthis who rule the capital Sana'a.
Previous UN-mediated negotiations to end the conflict through dialogue failed as battles rage across the country. Yemen has been under military strikes by Saudi Arabia and its allies on a daily basis since March 26.
The attacks are supposedly meant to undermine the Houthi movement and restore power to Mansour Hadi, a steadfast ally of Riyadh.
The Saudi-led strikes have claimed the lives of more than 7,500 people and injured nearly 14,000 others. They have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country’s facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.