- The UN security council urged parties to implement Hodeidah agreement
- They called for adherence to the ceasefire and the finalization of the prisoner exchange
DUBAI: Members of the United Nations Security Council issued a statement on Monday calling all parties to take the next necessary steps to implement the Hodeidah agreement.
Members called for “full adherence to the ceasefire” in Hodeidah governorate, “as well as the finalization of arrangements for the Prisoner Exchange Agreement and the statement of understanding on Taiz.”
A fragile ceasefire has been in place around the strategic port city of Hodeidah since the historic Stockholm Agreement was signed last December by the warring sides. The signing was seen as a crucial move towards a peace deal between the Iran-backed Houthi militia and the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
Earlier on Monday, Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN Political and Peacebuilding Affairs chief, discussed with Hadi in Riyadh the efforts of Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths’ for the war-torn country as well as ways to advance the Stockholm accord and return to peace talks.
DiCarlo described the discussions as “productive” and thanked Hadi for his government’s commitment to the full implementation of the Stockholm Agreement.
After the meeting, Hadi said that he has received assurances from UN Secretary-General António Guterres that Griffiths would abide by implementing the Hodeidah deal in accordance with international resolutions and Yemeni law.
Since the signing of the agreement last year, the Houthi militia failed to honor the deal and refused to fully redeploy from Hodeidah to allow humanitarian aid to be redistributed to the 24 million in need.
The next briefing to the Security Council on Yemen is expected to take place on June 17.