[26/02/2019 02:47]

GENEVA-SABA
Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalek told the UN Secretary-General António Guterres that failing to name Houthis as peace hinderers emboldens their crimes.

In a meeting they held on the sidelines of the ongoing 2019 Yemen pledging conference in Geneva, Abdulmalek said "failing to take tough measures against the Houthi maximalist approach and roundabout schemes and to name them as peace hinderers emboldens their crimes and prolongs the war."

He said that indulging the Houthis to "their whimsical demands of changing the implementation schedule of the Stockholm Agreement (of December 13), breaking up the Agreement and holding talks anew on the Agreement's terms is unacceptable.

He rather called on the UN peace monitoring team in Hodeidah to bear their responsibility towards the Houthi refusal to withdraw from the port city and to implement the prisoner exchange aspect, two requirements that have to be fulfilled before holding any new talks with the rebel militia.

Abdulmalek reaffirmed the government's support for the Secretary General's Special Envoy to Yemen citing the government's offered concessions to make the sought political solution a success
Abdulmalek and Guterres discussed the ongoing coordination between the UN and the government to address the humanitarian situation, facilitate relief aid deliveries, the results of the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan, and mechanisms of cover the financing gap in Yemen.

Guterres reiterated his personal commitment to support Yemen in addressing its humanitarian, developmental and political challenges. He stressed that he will work in all possible ways to strengthen international support for Yemen and its people.

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