Sana'a - Representatives of Yemen's warring parties are meeting
to discuss the stalled truce agreement for the contested port city of
Hodeida, a pro-government source said on Monday.
The meetings, which began on Sunday evening on board a United Nations
ship on the Red Sea, are overseen by the head of the UN mission
overseeing the ceasefire in the city, former Danish general Michael
Lollesgaard.
This is the first meeting between representatives of the government
and the Houthi rebels focusing on developments in Hodeida since
February.
Maamoun al-Maghami, spokesman of the pro-government Giants Brigade,
told dpa the two sides discussed the "need that the Houthi commit to
the truce and ensuring a comprehensive ceasefire."
The truce agreement for Hodeida went into effect in December,
following UN-sponsored peace talks in Sweden. The agreement included
a province-wide ceasefire and the withdrawal of fighters.
#Yemen Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) will hold its fifth joint meeting on 14 and 15 July aboard a UN vessel on the high seas. RCC Chair Lieutenant General Michael A. Lollesgaard will facilitate a discussion on steps to implement the Hudaydah Agreement. pic.twitter.com/q9KcAJn78E
— UN Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (@UNDPPA) July 14, 2019
The United Nations said this is the fifth joint meeting of the
Redeployment Coordination Committee, one of several formed after
Sweden talks.
In May, the rebels handed over the security of the city's three ports
to the coastguard, in accordance with the deal, but Yemen's
Saudi-backed government dismissed the move as a sham.
The western province of Hodeida is of strategic importance because of
its main port, which is the entry point for some 80 per cent
of Yemen's imports and aid.
Yemen has been embroiled in a devastating conflict for more than four
years. It has resulted in the world's worst humanitarian crisis and
thousands of civilian deaths.