Yemen talks in Geneva stall amid Houthis' absence

By Bayram Altug

GENEVA

Yemeni deputy minister of youth on Thursday said the peace process in Geneva broke down due to absence of a delegation representing Yemen's Houthi rebel group.

“Unfortunately, peace talks of Yemen Government with the Houthi rebels […] is collapsing,” Hamza al-Kamali, the deputy minister, told Anadolu Agency.

Al-Kamali said the Houthis did not want to come and they have been making excuses for that. “All of that they are saying to the media is false,” he added.

Stating that the Houthis once again showed their stance against peace, he said the allegation of not being able to come to Geneva due to lack of required permissions from the Sanaa Airport was not true.

Al-Kamali said all procedures were completed and necessary permissions for the flight were given four days ago.

“The next 24 hours will have a clear position from these peace talks,” he said, adding that a press statement from the UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths was going to “clarify everything”.

Noting that the Houthis were rejecting to come to Geneva and they are not likely to come now, al-Kamali said the Yemeni government delegation is planning to leave Geneva on Friday.

Later in the day, a statement from Griffiths’ office, following his meeting with the delegation of the Yemeni government, said: “The Special Envoy thanked the Yemeni Government for their positive engagement with his efforts to relaunch the peace process.

“He acknowledged the efforts made by the Government of Yemen and the Coalition to facilitate the convening of these consultations,” according to the statement.

Reiterating the need for reaching “an inclusive political solution to the conflict in Yemen,” it said Yemeni people -- who are living under dire humanitarian conditions -- hope for a quick settlement of the conflict.

“The Special Envoy is mindful of the challenges associated with bringing the parties together to Geneva, bearing in mind that they haven’t met for two years,” the statement said.

“He was hopeful to see Sana’a Delegation present to expedite the political process. He continues to make efforts to overcome obstacles to allow the consultations to go forward,” it added.

Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by conflict since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital of Sanaa.

The conflict escalated the following year when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a wide-ranging air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen.

The violence has devastated the country’s infrastructure, prompting the UN to describe the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times.”