The Sanaa negotiating delegation said Saturday that “its acceptance of the first and second extensions of the armistice was in the hope that there would be the slightest sense of responsibility or understanding on the part of the countries of the Saudi-led coalition of aggression and their mercenaries.”
“During the six months of the armistice, we did not see any seriousness in prioritizing the humanitarian issue, and since the start of the truce, despite delays, we were keen on not missing any opportunity that could lead to peace,” the delegation added in a statement.
The Sanaa negotiating delegation held the Saudi-led coalition of aggression “responsible for the negotiations reaching a dead end due to their intransigence.”
“After the coalition of aggression played all its cards, it had no other choice but to target the livelihood of the Yemeni people, as it is the easiest way to bring the people to their knees,” the statement added.
The delegation stressed in its statement that after the member states of the Saudi-led coalition lost all their bets, their only weapon has become putting pressure on the economy and maintaining the siege on Yemen.
“The countries of aggression do not desire peace as much as they want to keep their lands away from the repercussions of the war and direct targeting,” the statement added. The delegation “had no special agenda other than the interest of the Yemeni people and the human and legal rights of the citizens of Yemen.”
“We exercised restraint in light of the other party’s breaches of the armistice to give more time to deliberations and international efforts,” the delegation’s statement read.
“The National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs participated in intensive meetings with the United Nations in accordance with a previous agreement stipulating the release of select prisoners. However, the delegation was surprised by their sole focus on the release of Saudi prisoners and some leaders without caring about the rest of the prisoners. This was a violation of the agreement’s stipulations,” the statement noted.
The government of the Saudi-appointed presidential council announced Saturday that it “received a recent proposal from the UN envoy to extend the armistice as of October 2, and we will deal with it positively.”
The head of the Supreme Political Council in Yemen, Mahdi Al-Mashat, affirmed during a meeting with UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg that “the payment of salaries to all public sector employees is essential for the continuation of the armistice” and warned that Yemen would not agree to an extension in the event that such demand is not met.
He went on to say that “if Yemenis accept the armistice in its current form, that will mean accepting the continuation of aggression and blockade on our dear Yemeni people.”
This came after Grundberg arrived in Yemen to discuss the extension of the truce with the Supreme Political Council leadership.
It is noteworthy that on August 2, Grundberg said the warring parties agreed on extending the truce for an extra two months per the same conditions with the aim of maintaining negotiations and reaching a comprehensive truce as soon as possible.
The truce in effect in Yemen since last April 2, which was also extended on June 2, stipulates the suspension of military offensives by land, sea, and air in Yemen and across its borders, in addition to facilitating the entry of ships carrying fuel to Al-Hudaydah ports in western Yemen.
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar English Website)
