British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, in the next two days, will meet with Houthis and Yemeni government officials to urge the immediate implementation of the UN-brokered Stockholm agreement, a British diplomatic source said.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, the British ambassador to Yemen Michael Aron said Hunt’s first leg of the upcoming visit will be to Oman, where he would meet with Houthi representatives. He will then visit Saudi Arabia and the UAE to meet with the internationally-recognized Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and officials from hosting countries.
Aron recognized the situation in Hodeidah as difficult, reiterating that Hunt will focus on achieving progress. On the matter, Aron said that positive steps and cooperation is expected from both sides.
According to the British ambassador, Hunt will meet the Houthis, President Hadi and the officials from Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and save no effort in urging the two sides to move forward in what Aron described as the last opportunity to implement the Stockholm Agreement. Signed last December in the Swedish capital, the Stockholm agreement is perceived as vital for the entire peace process in Yemen.
Aaron also praised the results of the donor conference held for Yemen in Geneva, pointing out that it is a great success on the humanitarian issue. He stressed that the UK has decided to boost its support for relieving the humanitarian situation in Yemen in 2019.
The diplomat voiced optimism on the Geneva conference showing the international community's care for improving the humanitarian situation in Yemen.
The Yemeni people need this success to implement the agreement and progress on the land and the exchange of prisoners. I think the problem is the lack of trust between the two sides.
On Hunt’s scheduled shuttle diplomacy, Aron said that it will try to activate trust among warring sides as it will help accomplishing progress.
The British Ambassador also positively reviewed progress achieved over the last two days on securing accesses to Red Sea wheat silos in Hodeidah.
More so, Aron noted that the Hadi government paying salaries for all public sector employees in Hodeidah as a successful step.
He said the visit of Hunt to the region is expected to be very important. “We will witness an improvement in the coming days,” he said.
