The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has arrived in the region to prepare for a new round of Yemeni peace talks. He began by holding talks in Kuwait yesterday with the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah regarding the situation in Yemen and the proposals put forward to bring all parties back to the negotiation table. It is expected that he will arrive in Riyadh later.

Yemeni political sources informed Asharq Al-Awsat that the UN envoy will propose where and when the consultations will take place to the parties concerned. The sources indicated that Ould Cheikh will propose to hold the consultations at the end of the month in either Kuwait or Jordan.

Meanwhile, the legitimate Yemeni leadership has stressed its commitment to peace. Yassin Mikawi, President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi’s adviser, said that all of the legitimate government’s actions aim to achieve peace, but it is peace that guarantees the end of the coup, the return of legitimacy and the implementation of international resolutions. Mikawi described “the victories achieved in Taiz and the partial lifting of the siege on the city” as “a confirmation that the military system of the Houthis and forces loyal to Saleh is collapsing”.

The Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Negotiations at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Dr Abdul Aziz Al-Uwaisheg stressed that the Arab Gulf states are committed to the reconstruction of Yemen and that the Yemeni legitimate government has made this a priority. He added that the reconstruction is based on foundations that include the restoration of security, stability and the government’s ability to fund itself.