UN's Yemen envoy says encouraged by talks on new truce

By  AFP 

The UN envoy for Yemen said Monday he was encouraged by what he called an intensification of diplomatic efforts to arrange a new truce in the eight-year war there, saying there was "a possibility that should not be wasted."

But special envoy Hans Grundberg also cautioned that despite a showing of "general military restraint" by both sides, "a simple miscalculation could reignite a cycle of violence that will be difficult to reverse."

Since an earlier truce between government forces and Huthi rebels expired on October 2, "the overall military situation in Yemen has remained stable," Grundberg informed the UN Security Council. "There has been no major escalation."

But he noted that limited military activity along frontlines had, "regrettably, also resulted in civilian casualties."

The Swedish diplomat warned that such activity, "combined with negative rhetoric and escalatory political and economic measures," could spark a new cycle of violence.

He urged all parties to "actively work to extend the longest period of relative quiet we have seen in the past eight years."

Noting the intensified diplomacy around Yemen -- particularly involving Saudi Arabia and Oman -- Grundberg pointed to a possible "step change in the trajectory" of the conflict, calling it "a possibility that should not be wasted and that demands responsible actions."

The recent diplomatic contacts had helped clarify the parties' positions, as well as "options for mutually acceptable solutions," Grundberg said.

It was important, he added, that short-term issues be "framed in the context of a more comprehensive approach that delineates a clear pathway towards a sustainable political settlement."

Yemen, the poorest country on the Arabian peninsula, has been devastated since 2014 by the conflict opposing Huthi rebels armed by Iran and pro-government forces supported by a Saudi-led military coalition.