ANSD : U.K. warns of Yemen peace process risk

MON 25 - 11 - 2024

Date: Mar 5, 2019
Source: The Daily Star

U.K. warns of Yemen peace process risk

LONDON/ADEN, Yemen: British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Sunday that a peace process in Yemen’s main port city “could be dead within weeks” without more committed effort from both sides. “We are now in last chance saloon for the Stockholm peace process,” Hunt said in a statement during a visit to Yemen.

“The process could be dead within weeks if we do not see both sides sticking to their commitments in Stockholm,” he added.

Hunt held talks with Yemen’s top diplomat Khaled al-Yamani on the conflict and “international efforts to bring peace to Yemen,” state news agency Saba said.

They discussed an agreement on a cease-fire and prisoner exchange between the warring sides, brokered by the United Nations at talks in Sweden in December, Saba said.

Hunt Friday tweeted a picture with Mohammad Abdel-Salam, head of the rebel delegation to the U.N. talks, saying the two had met in Oman to discuss the implementation of the Sweden agreements.

Britain has resisted pressure to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which is a key partner of a pro-government coalition in Yemen battling Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Hunt’s visit to Aden came a day after he met with Yemen’s embattled President Abed Rabbou Mansour Hadi in Saudi Arabia, where he has lived in self-imposed exile since 2015.

While in the kingdom Hunt also held talks with Adel al-Jubeir, state minister for foreign affairs, on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the fate of jailed Saudi women activists. “Important discussion with @AdelAljubeir about human rights reforms and current issues including Khashoggi, women activists,” Hunt said on Twitter Saturday, without offering any details.

Saudi Arabia announced Friday that a group of women activists would face trial after nearly a year in detention, during which they have allegedly faced torture and sexual harassment.

Hunt also met Saudi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf on his Gulf tour, which includes stopovers in Oman and the UAE.

“Our strategic partnership [with] Saudi Arabia helps us to keep the U.K. safe, to make progress on diplomatic priorities like Yemen, and to discuss frankly issues of concern,” Hunt said.

Hunt failed last month to convince Germany to end its ban on arms exports to Saudi Arabia, which he said was hurting Europe’s defense industry and diminishing its influence in efforts to end the Yemen conflict.

It was unclear whether Berlin’s decision to suspend arms exports to Saudi Arabia after Khashoggi’s murder was discussed during Hunt’s visit.

Hunt reportedly urged Germany to exempt major European defense projects like Eurofighter or Tornado jets, which contain German parts, from its Saudi weapons embargo. But Berlin stood firm on its decision to uphold the ban.

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