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Grundberg in Sanaa to Consolidate Truce

UN special envoy Hans Grundberg (C) looks on after arriving at Sanaa International in the Yemeni capital, on April 11, 2022. (AFP)
UN special envoy Hans Grundberg (C) looks on after arriving at Sanaa International in the Yemeni capital, on April 11, 2022. (AFP)
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Grundberg in Sanaa to Consolidate Truce

UN special envoy Hans Grundberg (C) looks on after arriving at Sanaa International in the Yemeni capital, on April 11, 2022. (AFP)
UN special envoy Hans Grundberg (C) looks on after arriving at Sanaa International in the Yemeni capital, on April 11, 2022. (AFP)

The United Nations envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, arrived in Sanaa on Monday to consolidate the truce that was announced earlier this month.

He is set to meet with leading members of the Iran-backed Houthi militias as part of his efforts to resolve the crisis.

A statement from his office said discussions will focus on the implementation and consolidation of the two-month UN truce. They will also tackle a comprehensive peace process that Grundberg is drafting.

The Houthis had refused to meet with Grundberg in September, shortly after he had assumed his post. He ended up meeting with their negotiations delegations on several occasions in the Omani capital Muscat.

The Omani Foreign Ministry revealed that envoy's visit to Sanaa was possible after a series of meetings and discussions between Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi and head of the Houthi negotiations delegation Mohammed Abdulsalam.

In a tweet, the ministry said the talks focused on consolidating the truce and the conditions needed to reach a comprehensive settlement in Yemen.

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Lebanese President Says Disarmament Decision Has Been Taken

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the Maronite Patriarchate on Easter morning (Lebanese Presidency)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the Maronite Patriarchate on Easter morning (Lebanese Presidency)
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Lebanese President Says Disarmament Decision Has Been Taken

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the Maronite Patriarchate on Easter morning (Lebanese Presidency)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the Maronite Patriarchate on Easter morning (Lebanese Presidency)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun affirmed on Sunday that the decision to confine all arms to the state has already been made, but he emphasized that its enforcement hinges on the “right conditions” to determine the timing and method.
Aoun’s statement came two days after Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem firmly rejected any possibility of disarmament. “We will not allow anyone to disarm Hezbollah or the resistance,” Qassem had said in a televised address.
He warned that Hezbollah has “other options,” though he stopped short of specifying them.
Qassem also claimed that Hezbollah has successfully thwarted Israel’s objectives in southern Lebanon, and revealed that “positive messages” had been exchanged with President Aoun regarding the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.

Aoun
Following an Easter Mass and a closed-door meeting with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, Aoun reiterated his stance on confining weapons to the state, emphasizing that the matter “should not be debated through media or social platforms, but rather approached with national responsibility and without provocation”.
He added that the nation’s best interest must always come first, reaffirming that his call, as mentioned in his inaugural address, for exclusive state control over arms was not mere words.
“When I spoke of the state’s exclusive right to arms in my oath of office, it wasn’t just words. I said it because I firmly believe that the Lebanese people do not want war and can no longer bear its consequences or even the language of war,” he said.
In addressing the challenges facing this matter and how to reconcile between external pressures on Lebanon and internal calls for a more gradual approach, Aoun said: “We must address the matter responsibly and with composure because it is a sensitive and fundamental matter for preserving civil peace”.
President Joseph Aoun reiterated his call for internal dialogue as the only viable path to resolve contentious national issues, including the question of Hezbollah’s arms. He warned against confrontation, which he said could lead Lebanon toward destruction.
Patriarch Al-Rahi
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, during his Easter Mass sermon, voiced strong support for Aoun’s position on state sovereignty and the monopoly of arms.
Rahi endorsed Aoun’s message that "only the state can protect us—a strong, sovereign, and just state, born from the will of the Lebanese people and committed to their well-being, peace, and prosperity."