Yemen talks to enter new phase: UN envoy

On May 4, the UN-facilitated had peace talks between Yemen's internationally recognised government and the Shia Houthi rebel group

UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed announced that the Yemeni peace talks would enter a new phase in the next two weeks.

"The special envoy said that after extensive discussions with the participants, the main principles that will guide the next phase of Yemeni talks had been established," Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here on Wednesday.

"These principles are based on the working papers submitted by the two delegations and the recommendations of the specialised committees," Haq said.

"The two delegations will use the coming two weeks to meet their respective leaderships and will then return to Kuwait on July 15 with practical recommendations on how to implement the necessary mechanisms that will enable them to sign a peace accord and end the conflict in Yemen," he said.

Ahmed will use the two-week period to meet with key Yemeni and regional political stakeholders to press for a comprehensive solution that will address the mechanisms discussed in the talks, which will ensure the security and stability of Yemen, the spokesman added.

On May 4, the UN-facilitated peace talks between Yemen's internationally recognised government and the Shia Houthi rebel group resumed after three-day suspension due to ceasefire breaches in the country's northern provinces.

The ceasefire came into force on April 10 and was supposed to pave the way for the Kuwait peace talks, but both conflicting sides have complained of violations by each other, along with continuing heavy shelling and airstrikes.

The previous two rounds were held in June and December of 2015, but failed to yield any progress.