Saudi Deputy Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman has said a two-week ceasefire announced by the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen "will hopefully create a more effective climate to de-escalate tensions."
“The Kingdom has always been committed to reaching a comprehensive political settlement in Yemen, and based on our responsibility to bring stability to the region at such a critical time, the Coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen has declared a two-week long ceasefire initiative,” he tweeted Thursday.
He said the Houthi militias “must finally show good will by seriously engaging UN Envoy Mr. Martin Griffiths towards implementing steps that will ease the suffering of the Yemeni people and protect the Yemeni people from an Epidemic of which the world has never seen before.”
The ceasefire aims to facilitate talks sponsored by Griffiths for a permanent ceasefire, and was decided in part to avoid a potential outbreak of the new coronavirus, though no cases have been reported so far, Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said.
The ceasefire will go into effect at midday on Thursday for two weeks and is open to extension, he said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia will contribute $500 million to the United Nations humanitarian response plan for Yemen in 2020 and $25 million to help combat the spread of the new coronavirus, Prince Khalid bin Salman said in another tweet.
