HOUTHIS AGREE TO YEMEN CEASE-FIRE, URGES RETURN TO UN TALKS

Militiamen loyal to Yemen‘s President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi hold their weapons during clashes with Houthi fighters in Yemen‘s southern port city of Aden April 13, 2015. (Photo: Reuters)

Sanaa, 21 Rajab 1436/10 May 2015 (MINA) – Yemen’s Houthi group has agreed to a Saudi-proposed humanitarian cease-fire in Yemen and called for resuming the political dialogue under the auspices of the United Nations.

In a statement, the Houthi group expressed willingness to “deal positively” with any efforts that would alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people.

The Houthi statement was the first response to the five-day “humanitarian truce” proposed by the Saudi-led coalition, which is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Anadolu Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

“We stress on the need to resume dialogue from the point it stopped when the [Saudi-led] aggression began, provided that it is held under the auspices of the UN,” the group’s political bureau said in a statement broadcasted by the pro-Houthi Al-Masirah TV.

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“We also call for the immediate lift of the unjust [coalition] blockade, and we’re ready to deal positively with any efforts that would alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people,” the group said, in an implicit nod of acceptance to the truce proposed by the coalition.

On Friday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry unveiled a proposed five-day humanitarian truce in Yemen, noting that the truce could start as of Tuesday.

The truce makes it, however, necessary for the Houthis to abide by a cease-fire in all Yemeni provinces.

Fractious Yemen has remained in turmoil since last September, when the Houthis overran capital Sanaa, from which they sought to extend their influence to other parts of the country.

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On March 25, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies began an extensive military campaign targeting Houthi positions across Yemen.

Riyadh says its air campaign comes in response to appeals by Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi for military intervention against the Houthis.

Hadi, who is backed by the Sunni-majority Gulf States, fled to Riyadh in March after Houthi forces attacked his residence in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden. (T/P001/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)