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Yemen’s Quartet Seeks New Ceasefire within Two Weeks | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir deliver a statement after a meeting at the State Department in Washington, February 8, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Barria


Riyadh, London – Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister Adel Al-Jubeir and his U.S. counterpart John Kerry stressed that the new peace roadmap for Yemen would be based on U.N. Security Council Resolution 2216, the Gulf Initiative and the outcome of national dialogue.

During a joint news conference on Sunday in Riyadh, Kerry expressed hope that a new ceasefire in Yemen could be reached within two weeks.

Kerry stressed that the U.S. would work within the Yemen’s quarter, which includes Britain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, to achieve a new pause in the fighting, which would be the eighth ceasefire attempt since hostilities escalated early last year.

The U.S. secretary of state added that the group of four nations, formed previously to focus on Yemen, “hopes that within two weeks it might be possible to achieve” a pause in fighting.

“The failure to achieve a lasting cessation of hostilities is disturbing to all of us,” Kerry said.

Meanwhile, Gulf diplomatic sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that participants at the quartet meeting have stressed Houthi rebels must present guarantees of their commitment to withdraw from occupied cities and to hand over their arms.

The sources added that participants also hoped to reach an agreement over a new ceasefire in Yemen within a period of two weeks, provided that representatives from both warring parties attend a coordination meeting on this matter.

Kerry announced the outcome of the latest Quartet meetings, which were held in the presence of U.N. Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

He noted that the meeting has issued a joint communiqué, focusing on the need to abide by UNSCR 2216, the Gulf Initiative and the outcome of national dialogue.

Commenting on reports regarding stalling in weaponry deals with the U.S. Jubeir said that Riyadh did not receive any official notice from the U.S. side, in terms of stalling weaponry purchase, indicating that such reports were merely baseless and unfounded.

Jubeir stressed that Riyadh would keep calling on the international community to impose severely deterring sanctions on Iran, for its continued intervention in the region and its backing of terrorist cells inside the Kingdom.