Yemen peace talks "closer" to agreement: UN envoy
'The discussions have become more sensitive and delicate bringing us closer to a comprehensive agreement' Cheikh Ahmad
UN Secretary-General Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed speaks to the media after the Yemen peace talks in Switzerland in Bern December 20, 2015. PHOTO: REUTERS
KUWAIT CITY:
The UN envoy said Wednesday that the warring parties in Yemen were closer to agreement at peace talks in Kuwait as he headed to New York to brief the Security Council.
Trail of death: String of bombings kill 189 in Syria, Yemen
"We are moving towards a general understanding that encompasses the expectations and visions of the parties," Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement.
"The discussions have become more sensitive and delicate bringing us closer to a comprehensive agreement," he said.
Ould Cheikh Ahmed is to brief the UN Security Council in a closed session later on Wednesday on the progress made in the peace talks which began on April 21 but have been clouded by repeated walkouts by the government delegation.
Face-to-face meetings resumed on Monday for the first time in nearly a week after the latest government boycott.
Landmine kills Saudi soldier on Yemen border
Ould Cheikh Ahmed said discussions on Tuesday centred on "various military and security issues including withdrawals and troop movements".
"We are now working on overcoming various obstacles and addressing specific details of an implementation mechanism," he said.
The apparent progress comes after Foreign Minister Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi said on Monday that the government stood ready to make concessions for the sake of peace.
As humanitarian needs grow, USAID chief says the world must act
The government had insisted that rebels should implement an April 2015 Security Council resolution demanding their withdrawal from the capital and other territory they have seized since 2014.
Despite a 14-month-old Saudi-led military intervention in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government, the Huthi Shiite rebels and their allies still control many of Yemen's most populous regions, including the central and northern highlands and the Red Sea coast.
The UN envoy said Wednesday that the warring parties in Yemen were closer to agreement at peace talks in Kuwait as he headed to New York to brief the Security Council.
Trail of death: String of bombings kill 189 in Syria, Yemen
"We are moving towards a general understanding that encompasses the expectations and visions of the parties," Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement.
"The discussions have become more sensitive and delicate bringing us closer to a comprehensive agreement," he said.
Ould Cheikh Ahmed is to brief the UN Security Council in a closed session later on Wednesday on the progress made in the peace talks which began on April 21 but have been clouded by repeated walkouts by the government delegation.
Face-to-face meetings resumed on Monday for the first time in nearly a week after the latest government boycott.
Landmine kills Saudi soldier on Yemen border
Ould Cheikh Ahmed said discussions on Tuesday centred on "various military and security issues including withdrawals and troop movements".
"We are now working on overcoming various obstacles and addressing specific details of an implementation mechanism," he said.
The apparent progress comes after Foreign Minister Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi said on Monday that the government stood ready to make concessions for the sake of peace.
As humanitarian needs grow, USAID chief says the world must act
The government had insisted that rebels should implement an April 2015 Security Council resolution demanding their withdrawal from the capital and other territory they have seized since 2014.
Despite a 14-month-old Saudi-led military intervention in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government, the Huthi Shiite rebels and their allies still control many of Yemen's most populous regions, including the central and northern highlands and the Red Sea coast.