PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th September, 2018) France regrets the failure of Yemeni peace talks in Geneva and urges the parties to resume negotiations as soon as possible, the Foreign Ministry's spokesperson said on Monday.
The UN-mediated Geneva consultations on Yemen between the Houthis and the Yemeni government were to start on Thursday. However, the Houthis' representatives failed to show up at the talks, claiming that the Saudi-led coalition, which controls the Yemeni air space, did not allow them to leave and return peacefully. According to the coalition, Houthis were greenlighted to leave on time, but did not use the opportunity.
"France regrets that the consultations organized upon the UN initiative failed to take place on Saturday in Geneva as planned. It calls on the sides to resume negotiations as soon as possible, headed by [UN] Special Envoy [for Yemen] Martin Griffiths," the spokesperson told a briefing.
Yemen is engulfed in an armed conflict between the government headed by Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah. The Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf nations has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request since March 2015.
