Yemen’s foreign minister and head of the government’s delegation to the Geneva talks, Khaled al-Yamani, discussed ina phone interview with Asharq Al-Awsat the peace talks in Geneva.
“We held a series of meetings with the UN envoy and his working group on many issues that focused on alleviating the Yemeni people’s sufferings; however, we are faced with the intransigence of the other side,” Yamani said in reference to the Houthi rebels.
As for the continued rejection of the militias to participate in the Geneva talks, he noted: “The government delegation decided to stay in Geneva to confirm our solidarity and support for the efforts of the special envoy. The aim was to exert more pressure with all of our partners and the active states in the Security Council, in addition to the group of 19 countries sponsoring the peace process, to push the rebels to join the round of consultations.”
Yamani stressed that the special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, has praised the cooperation of the coalition in all logistical measures and all the facilities it provided to the rebels to encourage them to participate in the negotiations.
He noted in this regard that his country would neither accept any excuses nor would it make any concessions that affect the safety and security of the Yemeni people, stressing that the other side should come to the table of consultations to discuss the issues of confidence-building measures.
“It is sad and shameful that millions of Yemenis suffer, while a group manipulates and uses futile excuses to prolong this conflict and refuses to engage in any effort even when it is called confidence-building measures,” Yamani affirmed.
