UAE Foreign Minister Expresses Hope War in Yemen to End in 2019
The United Arab Emirates' (UAE) foreign minister, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, voiced hope on Wednesday that the armed conflict in Yemen, which has been dragging on for about four years already, would be finally put to an end in 2019 and an inclusive political process would be launched in the country
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th June, 2019) The United Arab Emirates' (UAE) foreign minister, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, voiced hope on Wednesday that the armed conflict in Yemen, which has been dragging on for about four years already, would be finally put to an end in 2019 and an inclusive political process would be launched in the country.
Earlier in the day, the top UAE diplomat held a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.
"We have discussed the situation in Yemen. We have confirmed that we continue our efforts to support Mr [Martin] Griffiths, the UN secretary general's special envoy [for Yemen]. We consider the Stockholm accords to be one of the steps, but we hope that this year, Mr. Minister, the year 2019 will be the year when the war in Yemen will end and the year of a large-scale inclusive political process in the interests of the Yemeni people will be launched," the minister said.
The civil conflict in Yemen between the internationally recognized Yemeni government and Houthi rebels, who have occupied vast lands in the country's northwest, began in 2015. The Saudi-led coalition is helping out the government forces with airstrikes, but it has been slammed by human rights activists for inflicting numerous civilian casualties in the process.
Last December, the warring parties attended UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden. As a result of the meeting, the rebels and the government agreed to a ceasefire in the Yemeni port city of Al Hudaydah, an exchange of prisoners and the establishment of humanitarian corridors.