The ongoing consultations on Yemen in Sweden will hopefully lead to formal peace negotiations for the conflict-torn country, Carola Mueller-Holtkemper, the German ambassador to Yemen, told Sputnik on Friday.
STOCKHOLM (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th December, 2018) The ongoing consultations on Yemen in Sweden will hopefully lead to formal peace negotiations for the conflict-torn country, Carola Mueller-Holtkemper, the German ambassador to Yemen, told Sputnik on Friday.The delegations of the Yemeni government and Houthi militants arrived in Sweden on Wednesday. The crisis settlement talks began earlier on Thursday in Rimbo, a town north of Stockholm, and are expected to last through December 14.
"I hope so, they have both expressed their interest [in formal negotiations] so we can only rely on their words," Mueller-Holtkemper said, asked whether the arrival of both delegations to the consultations in Sweden could be considered as a positive step in the peace settlement process that would lead to formal negotiations in the near future.
She stressed that the consultations should focus on easily solvable problems, as there are too many priorities at the moment.
"The situation is such that so many things need to be done and solved but right now I think there are too many priorities. What I would do would be to try and solve the easiest ones, the low-hanging fruit and then continue on this basis but I am not the negotiator, I want to facilitate, and I am here to push the parties toward a solution," Mueller-Holtkemper said.
The German ambassador added that she was ambitious regarding the prospects for the consultations.
"Yes of course, and I am ambitious because the Yemeni people need this and deserve it. They have been suffering for such a long time and the situation on the ground is appalling. This is why steps forward are urgently needed, as many steps forward as possible," Mueller-Holtkemper said.
Yemen has been ravaged by almost four years of war between an internationally backed government, aided by a Saudi-led coalition, and the Houthi rebels that has pushed half the country's population to the brink of starvation. An attempt to begin formal negotiations failed in October after Houthis said they were barred from leaving the country.
