The EU on Tuesday slammed the Iran-backed Houthis for refusing to end their siege on Taiz, a major Yemeni city, at a time when Yemen's Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak confirmed that the militias are still not ready to commit to peace.
“The EU deeply regrets a rejection by the Houthis of the latest proposal by UN special envoy (UNSE) on road reopening notably around Taiz,” the EU said in a statement, urging the Houthis to accept the UN’s proposals in Taiz.
“The reopening of roads is a crucial humanitarian element of the truce, along with fuel shipments through the port of Hodeidah and commercial flights from/to Sanaa. The EU urges the Houthis to reconsider and accept the UNSE’s proposal,” the statement explained.
Moreover, the EU also called on warring parties in Yemen to extend the UN-brokered truce for further six months.
“The EU calls on all parties to accept further six-month extension of the truce beyond 2 August. This is what the Yemeni people wish and deserve after suffering under the conflict for too long,” the statement said.
According to Brussels, the truce has “broken the diplomatic stalemate and brought unprecedented tangible benefits to Yemenis, and this momentum should not be lost.”
The EU also reiterated its full support to UN-led peace efforts that aim at bringing an end to the conflict in Yemen.
The two-month truce that came into effect on April 2 was extended by a further two months, but it suffered a significant blow in June after the Houthis rejected the UN envoy’s proposal on opening roads in Taiz to partially end the people’s suffering amid the Houthis’ seven-year siege of the city.
For his part, Yemen’s top diplomat accused the militia of not being ready for peace, citing its insistence on continuing the siege of Taiz and not responding to UN proposals.
Bin Mubarak’s accusations were made in official statements during a Tuesday phone call with US Ambassador Steven Fagin.
