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Kuwait Talks Freeze, Houthis Move Towards Forming a Government | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Supporters of the Houthi movement take part in a demonstration in Sana’a, Yemen July 28, 2016. REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH


Adan- Houthi rebels announced on Friday their intention to form a government in the capital Sana’a, which has been under their control since late 2014.

Houthi media outlets quoted Houthi politburo official Abdulmalak al-Ojari as saying that following the establishment of the Houthi governing council in Sana’a, the body will launch a wide-ranging program, including the formation of a new government.

Al-Ojari said: “The creation of the High Political Council is a necessary step to widen the national partnership and inaugurate a new phase.”

The Houthi official lashed out at the U.N., saying: “This body creates conflicts more than it solves them.”

On Thursday, Houthi rebels and their allies in ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh’s party said they would establish a governing council to run the country.

Meanwhile, Yemeni high-ranking political sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that U.N. Yemen envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed will announce in Kuwait the termination of the Yemeni peace talks. The sources said a closing statement will be issued in Kuwait to assert the U.N. envoy’s continuing efforts to solve the conflict in Yemen based on U.N. Resolution 2216.

The statement will also highlight that peace talks will resume in another round, reaffirming the envoy’s determination to preserve his previous suggestions which stipulate the need to stop fighting, release hostages and facilitate the arrival of humanitarian aid.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed had met on Thursday with members of the Yemeni legitimate government at the Bayan Palace. According to informed sources, the meeting tackled the mechanism in which the envoy would announce the end of peace talks after Houthi rebels had rejected a draft agreement, already accepted by the government delegation.

The sources said the national delegation had asserted during the meeting its support to Ould Cheikh Ahmed’s efforts, adding that the envoy’s presence in Kuwait was more a protocol move to end the Kuwait peace talks.

Meanwhile, Advisor to Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, Yassine Makkawi said: “As a government and a representative delegation, we support the strong efforts exerted by the U.N. envoy to offer a permanent peace to our people, and not a fragile one.”