UN Envoy to Yemen Stresses Need for Comprehensive Solutions, Inclusive Dialogue

The UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg (OSESGY)
The UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg (OSESGY)
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UN Envoy to Yemen Stresses Need for Comprehensive Solutions, Inclusive Dialogue

The UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg (OSESGY)
The UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg (OSESGY)

The UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has stressed the need for constructive discussions on political, military, and economic issues that concern all Yemenis.

The envoy concluded Thursday a three-day visit to Taiz governorate.

He held meetings in Taiz city, Turbah, and Mokha and discussed with a wide range of stakeholders the urgent necessity for an end to the conflict in Yemen.

In Taiz and Turbah, Grundberg met the Governor, Nabil Shamsan, political party representatives, civil society, members of parliament, business representatives, and journalists, who raised their concerns on the impact of the conflict, including targeting civilians in residential neighborhoods and severe restrictions on the safe and free movement of people and goods due to the continued road closures.

According to a statement issued by the envoy's office, they also discussed the sharp deterioration of the economy and essential services and its severe impact on businesses and families.

In Mokha, Grundberg met with the local authority, the Political Bureau of the National Resistance, and the al-Hirak al-Tihami, which highlighted the need for de-escalation, inclusivity, and the functioning of state institutions.

"These visits have given me a first-hand experience of the impact of the conflict on civilians in Taiz, including the difficulties they face moving through their daily lives," said Grundberg.

"It has also given me the opportunity to hear directly from Yemeni men, women, and young people on how a UN-led political process can help to address the situation in Taiz as part of a sustainable solution to the conflict in Yemen."

A statement issued by the Southern Transitional Council stated that the envoy met in Aden Chairman Aidarous Qassem al-Zubaidi. The meeting addressed political, economic, and military developments and discussed a comprehensive peace process.

He also reiterated the importance of implementing the economic part of the Riyadh Agreement to address the financial crisis and prevent the collapse of the economy and the exchange rate.

He warned that pivotal measures would exacerbate the situation and push it towards the unknown.

The media center of the political bureau, the political arm of the National Resistance Forces, said that Brigadier-General Tareq Saleh discussed with the UN envoy several issues related to the Yemeni crisis.

The talks addressed the attack of the Houthi militias on Marib and the role of the international community in implementing the Stockholm Agreement to protect the interests of civilians and stop the violations committed by the insurgents.

Saleh told the UN envoy that if the international community wanted to reach a political solution in Yemen, it should stop the Iranian-backed Houthi attack on Marib.

He renewed his call for the participation of all political parties in the dialogue, saying it is the gateway to real and lasting peace.



Kurdistan Region Blames ‘Terrorist Group’ for Peshmerga Attack

Peshmerga forces during a celebration in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, in 2023 (AFP)
Peshmerga forces during a celebration in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, in 2023 (AFP)
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Kurdistan Region Blames ‘Terrorist Group’ for Peshmerga Attack

Peshmerga forces during a celebration in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, in 2023 (AFP)
Peshmerga forces during a celebration in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, in 2023 (AFP)

Five members of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces were wounded in two separate drone attacks targeting military positions in northern Iraq’s Duhok province, the Kurdistan Region Security Council said on Tuesday.

The council said the strikes occurred on Monday and Tuesday in the town of Amadiya, where surveillance posts were being set up. The attacks were carried out using drones, it added.

Kurdish intelligence sources suspect a splinter faction of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was behind the strikes, suggesting the group aimed to disrupt ongoing peace efforts in both Türkiye and Syria.

“These are terrorist attacks,” the Security Council said in a statement, vowing to take “all necessary measures” against groups that threaten the region’s security and stability.

The PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has been engaged in a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state and maintains bases in northern Iraq.

The Kurdistan Region Security Council said Tuesday that the recent drone attacks on Peshmerga forces may have been intended to derail ongoing peace efforts among Kurdish groups across the region, as well as political developments within the Kurdistan Regional Government.

The council suggested the twin strikes in Duhok province were connected to peace negotiations between Türkiye and the PKK, as well as intra-Kurdish talks in northeast Syria, where Kurdish factions are seeking unity under what is known as the “Kurdish Unity Conference.”

It also linked the attacks to the final stages of forming the Kurdistan Region’s new government, warning that “certain groups and factions are working to obstruct peace and stability in the region.”

The comments came days after Syrian Kurdish factions held what was described as a “historic conference” in the northeastern city of Qamishli, calling for a decentralized democratic state.

The event brought together Kurdish delegations from Syria, Iraq, and Türkiye, and was attended by a US delegation.

Kurdish expert Kifah Mahmoud has suggested that factions within the PKK were likely behind the recent drone attacks on Peshmerga positions in northern Iraq.

Mahmoud told Asharq Al-Awsat that the attacks were linked to the ongoing peace initiatives in the region, both within Kurdish territories and at a broader geopolitical level.

“These developments are related to the peace processes, whether in the Kurdish regions or at the regional level,” Mahmoud said.

“We have positive negotiations between Türkiye and the PKK, as well as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) moving toward a peaceful stance with Türkiye. Most importantly, there’s a positive trajectory in relations between Baghdad and Erbil, along with ongoing regional negotiations between Washington and Tehran.”

Mahmoud believes that these efforts are not well-received by more hardline factions within the PKK. He pointed out that the PKK has long been divided into parallel wings operating under different names in various active regions, with some factions opposed to peace initiatives in Kurdish territories.

While some Kurdish officials have speculated that Türkiye may be indirectly involved in the attacks, Mahmoud dismissed this theory, instead attributing responsibility to the more radical PKK factions based in areas such as the Qandil Mountains and Sinjar, as well as near Amadiya.

He also rejected suggestions that the strikes were aimed at disrupting the formation of the Kurdistan Region’s new government, asserting that the main objective was to undermine the ongoing peace processes within Kurdish areas.