Yemen – The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, announced yesterday, Sunday, that consultations between the legitimate government and the Houthi group resulted in an important breakthrough in the prisoners’ file.
The UN envoy said in a statement seen by Anadolu Agency that “the supervisory committee for the implementation of the detainees agreement concluded its ninth meeting on Saturday in the Sultanate of Oman.”
He added, “The negotiations resulted in an important breakthrough, as the parties reached an understanding on the release of Mohammed Qahtan, which had been a source of contention for years.”
Grundberg explained that the parties “agreed to hold a subsequent meeting to complete the agreement on the names of the detainees who will be released, and the arrangements for Qahtan’s release.”
“Thousands of Yemenis are waiting to be reunited with their loved ones. Despite the positive progress, there is still much to be done, and at a faster pace, to alleviate the suffering of these families,” he continued.
Grundberg called on the parties “to continue working with his office to complete the implementation plan of the understanding they reached, including the names of detainees to be released, and to agree on further releases.”
He added: “The United Nations remains committed to this important work to reunite Yemeni families with their relatives detained in connection with the conflict.”
“As we continue this mission, we must also condemn the arbitrary detention of all civilians and express our regret for the suffering of their families and loved ones. Their immediate and unconditional release is the only acceptable option,” he continued.
On Saturday, the Yemeni government announced the conclusion of the round of consultations in the Omani capital, Muscat, with the Houthi group, and the achievement of “important breakthroughs” in the file of “kidnapped and forcibly disappeared persons,” and an agreement to hold a new, supplementary round following two months.
Abdul Qader Al-Murtada, the Houthi group’s prisoner file official, announced the completion of the Muscat consultations following agreeing on some points, the most important of which is resolving the issue regarding politician Mohammed Qahtan, and exchanging some of the lists of prisoners.
Al-Murtada added: “Due to the short time, it was agreed to resume negotiations following two months, and the two parties will focus their attention during this period on completing the submission of the lists and approving them until the next round is held.”
The exact number of prisoners and detainees currently held by both sides is not known, but during consultations in Stockholm in 2018, delegations from the government and Houthi group submitted lists of more than 15,000 prisoners and detainees.
On Wednesday, the legitimate Yemeni government and the Houthi group announced an agreement to exchange Qahtan for 50 Houthi prisoners.
On June 30, consultations to exchange prisoners between the Yemeni government and the Houthis began in the Omani capital, Muscat, under the auspices of the United Nations.
Anatolia
#Grundberg #important #breakthrough #consultations #Yemeni #parties #prisoners
2024-07-09 13:55:43
