The UN special envoy to Yemen on Monday urged the country's warring parties to make concessions to save peace talks aimed at ending a devastating 13-month war. The appeal by Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed came after face-to-face talks broke off with the government delegation complaining of a lack of progress and the Iran-backed Huthi rebels protesting about air raids by the Saudi-led Arab coalition.
After holding several separate meetings with each delegation, Ould Cheikh Ahmed called on the two sides to "make concessions in order to strike a comprehensive peaceful solution" to end Yemen's deadly conflict.
"The participants in the Kuwait negotiations must reflect the aspirations of the Yemeni people. I am confident that Yemenis want an end to the conflict," he said in a statement.
| Ahmed has to say this: if the peace talks collapse so does his expense account... |
All direct meetings scheduled for Sunday were called off, but the UN envoy said new talks are scheduled for Monday and appealed for cooperation. |