Yemens legitimate government emphasized the need for a complete withdrawal of Houthi militias from the city of Hodeidah and its ports as a main condition before starting the peace negotiations.
This comes following a meeting between the UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, and Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur where Griffiths said that a deal was struck with the Houthis who reportedly agreed to allow Hodeidah to be placed under UN surveillance.
Yemens foreign minister Khaled al-Yamani said in a statement that the governments main demand from the start was the complete withdrawal of the militias, and the entrance of government forces to guarantee the security of the area and reopen ports to receive humanitarian aid.
Yamani stressed that managing the ports and ensuring security cannot happen if they are isolated from the city.
“Security and stability cannot be achieved in the west coast, and the protection of international navigation without the withdrawal of all Houthi militias from the city, including the ports of al-Salif and Raas Issa,” Yamani said.
Yamani blamed the Houthis for using civilians as human shields in Hodeidah, and increasing their attacks on government buildings. He added that in their fight against the militias, the government and the Arab coalition making large efforts to avoid injuring civilians or damaging the citys infrastructure.
Yemeni parliamentary blocs stressed the need to continue the battle to liberate Hodeidah, which they said “suffered the scourge of domination of Houthi terrorist militias who loot ports, as well as humanitarian and relief products.”
Parliamentary blocs also called on all Hodeidah residents to cooperate with the Yemeni army to force out the Houthis, and not allow militiamen to spread out in their neighborhoods.
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Last Update: Thursday, 28 June 2018 KSA 08:20 – GMT 05:20
