UN-Sponsored Yemeni Talks in Amman to Complete Truce Terms

A military policeman carries a weapon as he waits at the funeral of Houthi fighters killed during recent fighting against government forces, in Sanaa, Yemen December 6, 2021. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo
A military policeman carries a weapon as he waits at the funeral of Houthi fighters killed during recent fighting against government forces, in Sanaa, Yemen December 6, 2021. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo
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UN-Sponsored Yemeni Talks in Amman to Complete Truce Terms

A military policeman carries a weapon as he waits at the funeral of Houthi fighters killed during recent fighting against government forces, in Sanaa, Yemen December 6, 2021. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo
A military policeman carries a weapon as he waits at the funeral of Houthi fighters killed during recent fighting against government forces, in Sanaa, Yemen December 6, 2021. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo

Yemeni delegates are expected to start a new round of talks this week in the Jordanian capital, Amman. Consultations are a part of the efforts exerted to reach consensus for implementing the rest of the items of the Yemeni humanitarian truce in place.

Lifting the siege on the city of Taiz and opening vital roads to contact areas are examples of the items Yemeni representatives will be discussing.

Houthis militias officially announced that their representatives would go Sunday to Amman to attend the consultations.

For its part, the Yemeni government had identified its delegates after the truce entered into force.

The truce expires on July 2, but the UN hopes to extend it and build on it to launch multiple tracks of consultations aimed at finding lasting peace.

Meanwhile, Yemeni and human rights activists launched a wide campaign on social media on Sunday to demand the lifting of the siege on Taiz. At least 26 human rights organizations have signed a statement calling for international pressure to compel the Houthis to end the siege on the Yemeni city.

The statement called on the international community to pay adequate attention to the siege on Taiz and the humanitarian crisis it generated there.

The human rights groups called on the international community to prioritize Taiz to end the war in Yemen, given the central importance of this file in the Yemen crisis.

“Taiz has been subjected to a suffocating siege since 2015, in light of an international engagement that makes lifting this siege and alleviating the suffering of its civilians a sub-issue that receives little attention, with promises that are soon repudiated,” said the statement.

“The Taiz file is not considered except in some of the margins of international efforts and discussions to end the war in Yemen, despite the city living in the harshest conditions of war,” it added.



Middle East Must Emerge from Turbulence with Peace and Horizon of Hope, UN Chief Says

 United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses to members of the Security Council about the Middle East situation, including the Palestinian Question at UN Headquarters in New York City, US, January 20, 2025. (Reuters)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses to members of the Security Council about the Middle East situation, including the Palestinian Question at UN Headquarters in New York City, US, January 20, 2025. (Reuters)
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Middle East Must Emerge from Turbulence with Peace and Horizon of Hope, UN Chief Says

 United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses to members of the Security Council about the Middle East situation, including the Palestinian Question at UN Headquarters in New York City, US, January 20, 2025. (Reuters)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses to members of the Security Council about the Middle East situation, including the Palestinian Question at UN Headquarters in New York City, US, January 20, 2025. (Reuters)

The United Nations chief says the Middle East is undergoing a “profound transformation” and has urged all countries to ensure the region emerges from the turbulence with peace and “a horizon of hope grounded in action.”

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a ministerial meeting of the UN Security Council Monday that “a new dawn is rising in Lebanon,” which he just visited. He said it was vital that Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon and the Lebanese army deploy there as required in the ceasefire agreement.

In Gaza, he urged Israel and Hamas to ensure that their newly agreed deal leads to a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages taken by Hamas and other militants during the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in southern Israel.

The ceasefire must also lead to four simultaneous actions on the ground, Guterres said.

Unhindered UN access including by the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees known as UNRWA which Israel is seeking to ban is essential, he said, as well as scaled-up aid deliveries, Palestinians’ access to aid, and protection of civilians.

Guterres expressed deep concern about “an existential threat to the integrity and contiguity” of Gaza and the West Bank – key pieces of a future Palestinian state – from Israeli actions and “unabated illegal settlement expansion.”

“Senior Israeli officials openly speak of formally annexing all or part of the West Bank in the coming months,” he said. “Any such annexation would constitute a most serious violation of international law.”

The secretary-general said Syria “stands at a crossroads of history” and told the council, “We cannot let the flame of hope turn into an inferno of chaos.”

He stressed the need for a Syrian-led political transition, and “much more significant work in addressing sanctions and designations” especially in light of the country’s urgent economic needs.