LONDON: The UN’s envoy for Yemen has laid out a roadmap for peace in the country, which he says is reliant on solid commitments from the internationally recognized government and the Iran-backed Houthis.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper published on Sunday, Hans Grundberg said any peace plan in Yemen would need to be implemented in phases and was also dependent on securing a lasting ceasefire and ensuring the withdrawal of non-Yemeni forces from the country.
The “non-Yemeni forces” includes the Arab Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, Iran’s Quds Force, which is responsible for foreign operations of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, as well as Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Sources have told Asharq Al-Awsat that the withdrawal would be “connected to completing the first phase” of the peace plan, which would likely take up to six months.
Grundberg told the newspaper that one of the main obstacles to a lasting peace was the lack of trust between the warring parties, which he had been seeking to rebuild since he took up his post in August 2021.
“The goal of UN mediation is a serious political dialogue that clearly gears towards ending the conflict and provides for sustainable peace and delivers the future that Yemenis aspire for, a future of accountable governance, economic development, and equal citizenship,” he said.
“The parties have already committed to working with us to achieve this goal. And we are keen to ensure that the roadmap articulates the parties’ clear commitment to tangible steps towards resuming an inclusive political process that is Yemeni-owned under UN auspices,” he added.
During the interview, Grundberg also highlighted the need for the Houthis to respect international maritime law and cease its attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the need for a peaceful resolution to unrest in the south of the country and the importance of youth and female participation in the political process in a post-war Yemen.
