The statement was made by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir during a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry after talks in Paris.
"We have made a decision that the ceasefire will begin this Tuesday, May 12, at 11.00 pm and will last for five days subject to renewal if it works out," Al Jubeir said.
"The ceasefire will end should Houthis or their allies not live up to the agreement -- this is a chance for the Houthis to show that they care about their people and they care about the Yemen people," al-Jubeir added.
But Kerry warned that any ceasefire would be conditional on the Houthis not using the time to move and reposition its forces, not to fire in anger or use this as anything other than a chance for humanitarian efforts.
He said that while the Saudis would not respond to small accidental incidents where the message of a ceasefire might not have reached, this would not be extended to big actions that could be seen as a breach of a ceasefire.
Al-Jubeir said the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen is ready to halt airstrikes if Houthis cooperate.
Meanwhile, Kerry said the ceasefire in Yemen “is not peace” and conflicting parties in the war-torn country need to find a political solution to end crisis.
The U.S. top diplomat also said there were “some indications but no certainty” that Houthis will accept the truce.
The announcement in Paris came hours after the Saudi-led coalition carrying out airstrikes in Yemen declared a rebel stronghold along the kingdom's border a "military target" and gave residents an ultimatum to leave the region by nightfall.
alarabiya.net (with Agencies)
8/5/14
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Saudi Arabia's foreign minister vowed Friday that a ceasefire would begin on May 12, despite Saudi-led coalition attacks on Thursday against Yemeni rebels...
ReplyDeleteWarplanes from the Saudi-led coalition conducted Thursday's air strikes in retaliation for deadly cross-border bombardments.
"We have made a decision that the ceasefire will begin this Tuesday, May 12, at 11.00 pm and will last for five days subject to renewal if it works out," Adel Al Jubeir said at a meeting of Gulf ministers in Paris.
His announcement comes a day after Saudi-led raids targeted control centres, a communications complex, a landmine factory and other rebel positions in Yemen’s northern Saada province.
Witnesses in Saada said coalition jets dropped leaflets urging residents to leave and an AFP correspondent in Sanaa reported scores of families arriving on Friday....france24.com
8/5/15
Yemen conflict: Saudis warn border civilians to leave...
ReplyDeleteSaudi-led coalition aircraft have dropped leaflets warning residents in a Yemeni border district to leave, as air strikes against Houthi rebels continue.
Leaflets were dropped in Old Saada in Saada province, the rebels' stronghold.
Houthi rebels have fired shells from Saada into Saudi Arabia in recent days, killing 10 people.
But the NGO Medecins sans Frontieres, which has a team in Saada, warned people would not be able to leave the city quickly because of fuel shortages.
Saudi Arabia says the offensive aims to restore Yemen's exiled president.
The spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, Brig Gen Ahmad Assiri, said Yemenis were being advised to stay away from Houthi strongholds for their own safety.
Mr Assiri said the overnight air strikes in Saada province were aimed at those behind the attacks on Saudi territory.
"Our work now is reaching those [Houthis] who planned these attacks and who are hiding in Saada, and the places where the militias are," Gen Assiri told Saudi TV....bbc.com
8/5/15
Saudi-led warplanes bombed several targets in the Yemeni province of Saada late on Friday, after a deadline the kingdom had given citizens to leave the province expired...
ReplyDeleteThe raids targeted command centers for the Houthi leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi in several parts of Saada, Saudi state television Al Ekhbariya reported.
The northwestern province is a stronghold of the Iran-allied Houthi movement.
The locations included communication centers and weapons storage facilities, the television network said.
Saudi authorities had warned all civilians earlier to leave Saada, which borders on Saudi Arabia, by sunset on Friday after threatening a harsh response to Houthi shelling of Saudi frontier towns earlier this week.
Earlier on Friday, Saudi Arabia announced on Friday that a five-day ceasefire in Yemen will start on May 12...........http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/05/09/Saudi-led-coalition-conducts-airstrikes-on-Yemen-s-Saada-.html
9/5/15
Joint statement on the proposed truce in Yemen by High Representative / Vice-President Federica Mogherini and the Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides..
ReplyDeleteBrussels, 11 May 2015
The Saudi authorities have proposed to implement a five-day humanitarian truce in Yemen, starting at 20.00 GMT on Tuesday 12 May. In reaction, HRVP Mogherini and Commissioner Stylianides issued the following statement:
"This is an important opportunity to tackle the dramatic humanitarian situation in Yemen, especially now that the country is running out of essential supplies and basic public services are at a breaking point.
All parties should rapidly abide by the truce without preconditions in order to ensure immediate and unhindered access of ordinary Yemenis in need to aid and essential supplies, including fuel, food and basic commodities. Equally, all parties have to ensure the safety and security of relief workers and facilitate the passage of convoys and ambulances to the most affected populations without discrimination.
The escalation of the conflict, in particular at the Yemeni-Saudi border and in the province of Saada, carries grave risks for the stability of the region. The fighting sides have to refrain from the direct targeting of civilian areas and to fully respect international humanitarian law.
The EU takes note of the announcement of a Conference of Yemeni parties in Riyadh on 17 May. We will continue to support all efforts, in particular those of UN Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, for the resumption of inclusive political negotiations among the Yemeni parties. Yemen needs a sustainable settlement to the current crisis, based on a broad political consensus."
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-15-4963_en.htm?locale=en
11/5/15