Kuwait has reiterated its willingness to host the Yemeni parties for another round of peace talks to find a political solution to the crisis that has been dragging for the past five years.
Delivering Kuwait’s speech at the 74th UN General Assembly in New York, Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said that the Yemeni talks should be held under the auspices of the UN in order to reach a final political solution based on the GCC initiative and its executive mechanism, the outcomes of the national dialogue and UN Security Council Resolution 2216.
He said this crisis is another reminder of how to deal with Security Council resolutions and the failure of the parties to the conflict to implement the outcomes of the peace talks, including the Stockholm deal reached late last year.
“Once again, Kuwait reaffirms that there is no military solution to this conflict and continues to back UN-led efforts to resume the political process in order to restore peace, security and stability in Yemen and preserve its territorial integrity,” Sheikh Jaber said in his speech.
Kuwait had hosted the Yemeni peace talks in April 2016 for three months. The talks broke down in August after negotiations failed to yield a deal between the warring parties.
Sheikh Jaber reiterated his country’s call on Iran to take serious confidence-building measures to initiate a dialogue that is based on respect for sovereignty of states and non-interference in their internal affairs, ease tension in the Gulf region, and maintain safety of navigation.
Meanwhile, Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit met on Thursday with the UN Secretary General’s envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, for a briefing on his “ongoing efforts to reduce violence, revive the political process and support opportunities for peace in Yemen.”
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the General Assembly sessions.
A source at the League’s General Secretariat said the talks focused on the latest developments in Yemen and the efforts to revive the Stockholm Agreement.
