MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th September, 2018) Consultations on Yemen in Geneva, which are set to start, according to the UN Office in Geneva, on September 6, will focus on reactivating the peace process in the country and confidence-building measures, such as the exchange of prisoners.
A local Yemeni tv channel, Al Masirah, reported on Wednesday that the Houthi delegation set to take part in the consultations has not yet departed and remains at the Sanaa airport.
During a press conference today at the UN Palais De Nations in Geneva, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths stated that such delays were not a cause for concern and informal consultations could begin even late on Wednesday between Griffiths and the delegation of the Yemeni government that has arrived to Geneva.
Once consultations officially begin between both sides, they are set to take place over three days, with the hope that both sides will face each other at the same table, according to Griffiths.
During the press conference, Griffiths noted the two sides that would be taking part in the consultations, namely the Houthis and the government of Yemen. However, no mention has yet been made of whether the Southern Transitional Council, which has been invited to the talks by Griffiths, will attend the consultations.
Griffiths affirmed his commitment on Tuesday to listen to all Yemeni voices, including southern groups, in order to reach a political settlement.
The consultations on Yemen are preliminary to formal negotiations that could take place with UN backing.
Griffiths announced the consultations on August 2 during a briefing of the UN Security Council, amid violence in Al Hudaydah, as a measure which would attempt to reach a political settlement through peaceful negotiation, rather than through military means.
Griffiths stated that it is likely that the consultations will not coincide with intensified military action in Al Hudaydah, as any large military operations would make a peace settlement impossible.
