Retired Dutch Major General Patrick Cammaert arrived Sunday to Yemen’s Hodeidah, leading a UN advance team tasked with observing and supporting the implementation of Stockholm's Agreement about the port city, a leading source from the UN said.
He had arrived by land to the port city from the capital Sanaa.
Chaired by Cammaert, the Redeployment Coordination Committee is on the ground in the city nine days before implementing the first phase of the ceasefire deal that calls on the Iran-backed Houthi militias to withdraw from the Hodeidah, Saleef and Ras Issa ports after January 3, 2019.
The UN set 30 days for the implementation of the deal that was reached between the legitimate government and Houthis during peace consultations in Sweden.
Sources said the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) will hold its first meeting on Wednesday.
Asharq Al-Awsat learned from informed sources that it is most likely that the meeting would be held onboard a ship in the Red Sea.
“There is no agreement on anything particular yet because there are also Houthi cluster bombs to contend with at sea,” a source from the legitimate government said.
The ceasefire had taken effect on December 18.
Meanwhile, government official Hadi Haig said the Hodeidah deal did not include a penalty article that sanctions any of the signatory parties for failing to abide to the commitments made in Sweden.
“The UN had simply offered a verbal commitment that it would act against any side violating the deal,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
He revealed that the legitimate government delegation had asked the UN to include a penalty article.
“We wanted things to be clear and more credible,” he explained.
The RCC team would provide support for the management and inspections at the ports and strengthen UN presence.
