Grundberg acknowledges the fragility of the armistice and warns against its demolition
English - Wednesday 15 June 2022 الساعة 06:00 pm
Aden, NewsYemen:
The UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Mr. Hans Grundberg, acknowledged before the Security Council the fragility of the humanitarian truce that was extended for two additional months starting from the second of June.
In his briefing to the UN Security Council yesterday, Grundberg said, "The past weeks have revealed the fragility of the armistice and have shown that delays in implementing its provisions may threaten to completely destroy it.
Also, resorting to a policy of barter and threatening to suspend the implementation of one element of the armistice over the implementation of another element and the use of media discourse. Escalation undermines the truce, as it ultimately depends on the parties' desire to protect the truce and fulfill their promise in order to benefit the Yemenis."
However, he indicated that the truce is still holding militarily, as there have been no confirmed air strikes inside Yemen since the start of the agreement, nor attacks across its borders. There has also been a significant decrease in the number of civilian casualties, despite the increase in the number of victims of landmines and unexploded ordnance as a result of the entry of civilians, including children, to areas of the front lines that were previously inaccessible.
The UN envoy complained of his inability to monitor violations of the truce independently, but indicated that his office takes seriously the reports of both sides of the existence of alleged violations of the truce, most of which are in the governorates: Marib, Taiz and Hodeidah, as it is necessary to prevent these alleged incidents from provoking a spiral of renewed escalation and violence.
Grundberg revealed the results of the first two meetings of the Military Coordination Committee, which included representatives of the two parties in addition to the leadership of the joint forces of the coalition, and said: "The committee agreed to meet once a month and establish a joint coordination room to address events of concern in a timely manner, and direct meetings represent a face-to-face step." The first task is towards building trust and improving communication between the parties.”
Grundberg, as usual, refused to reveal who was behind in implementing its terms, and said that the truce had created, during the past two and a half months, a more favorable environment for the parties to engage in dialogue on the basis of goodwill.
He added, "But the implementation of the truce revealed contentious issues with political repercussions, such as revenue management, payment of public sector salaries, travel documents, and access to a more sustainable ceasefire. These are all political issues related to governance, and we must take steps towards more sustainable measures regarding these issues."
He pointed out that during the last period, he held consultations with Yemeni public figures, various women's groups, economic experts and the private sector in order to benefit from the design and content of this multi-track process, and several issues emerged from these consultations, including the need to transform the armistice into a sustainable ceasefire that envisages arrangements Longer-term security, and an urgent call for public sector salaries, revenue management, monetary policy coordination, and reconstruction.
The political, security, and economic issues raised by Yemenis during the various rounds of consultations have given us direction for the path to follow," he said. "As we work to consolidate the benefits of the truce, it is important to realize that an organized, inclusive, multi-track process can be the platform needed to reach such sustainable solutions," he said. It will also provide an opportunity to move Yemen towards a sustainable political settlement that meets the legitimate aspirations and demands of Yemeni women and men."
Grundberg revealed his work plan for the next month and a half, saying, "I will pursue two lines of efforts. First, I will work with the parties to ensure the implementation and strengthening of the truce elements, including the opening of roads in Taiz and in other governorates. Second, I will work to achieve more solutions Sustainability of urgent economic and security needs. Therefore, I plan to start negotiations on the economic and security tracks, and this work should be based on a political context and oriented towards a political settlement."
In the end, it depends on the parties' willingness to seize this opportunity to negotiate on the basis of goodwill and make the required concessions for the sake of Yemen as a whole. This truce presents a rare opportunity to turn toward peace and should not be missed," he said.
