Kuwait emir urges Yemen negotiators to achieve peace

KUWAIT CITY: The Kuwaiti emir met with Yemen’s peace negotiators Tuesday and urged them to forge ahead with a peace agreement to end 13 months of war in the impoverished Arab nation.
A source close to the talks in Kuwait City meanwhile said the two sides finally approved a general framework for the talks and were set to start looking into the central issues.
State-run KUNA news agency said Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah met with the rebel and government delegations separately and also received UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, but provided no details.
“We heard from the emir of Kuwait clear assurances with regard to supporting the political process to reach a settlement,” said Mohammed Abdulsalam, head of the Houthi delegation.
The emir warned that war can only lead to more devastation and bloodshed, Abdulsalam wrote on Facebook.
A source close to the government delegation said Sheikh Sabah “urged the two sides to reach a political settlement.”
Following the meeting with the emir, a new session of talks was held, a UN spokesman told AFP.
The UN Security Council on Monday urged all sides in the negotiations to be constructive.
The 15-member council stressed the importance of agreeing on a “roadmap” to implement security measures including the withdrawal of heavy weapons.
Ould Cheikh Ahmed on Monday welcomed “tangible progress” to end hostilities in the war-torn country.
“Reports indicate real improvement in the situation which reflects the parties’ commitment to the cessation of hostilities,” he said in a statement at the end of the fifth day of negotiations.