Yemen rebels refuse Sanaa airport reopening as domestic hub

Yemen’s warring sides had earlier agreed to a broad prisoner swap at the start of crucial peace talks in Sweden which aims to end a devastating conflict that has pushed millions of people to the verge of starvation.

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom welcomes Yemeni delegates at the opening press conference on U.N.-sponsored peace talks for Yemen at Johannesberg castle, in Rimbo, Sweden December 6, 2018.
Reuters

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom welcomes Yemeni delegates at the opening press conference on U.N.-sponsored peace talks for Yemen at Johannesberg castle, in Rimbo, Sweden December 6, 2018.

Yemen’s Huthi rebels on Friday turned down a government demand that Sanaa international airport, shut for years in a war between the two rivals, be reopened as a hub for domestic flights. 

“Sanaa airport is an international airport,” Huthi representative Abdulmalik al-Ajri told AFP at UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden. 

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government had earlier proposed reopening the Houthi-held airport in the capital Sanaa on condition planes are inspected in the airports of Aden or Sayun which are under its control, two government officials said on Friday. 

The idea was floated at UN-sponsored Yemen peace talks in Sweden aimed at building confidence-build ing measures that could eventually lead to a ceasefire to halt air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition that have killed thousands of civilians, and Houthi missile attacks on Saudi cities.

Earlier on Thursday, the warring sides agreed to a broad prisoner swap.

Hopes were high that the talks wouldn't deteriorate into further violence as in the past, and that the prisoner exchange would be an important first step toward building confidence between highly distrustful adversaries.

The 3-year-old conflict pits the internationally recognised government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition, against Shia rebels known as Houthis, who are backed by Iran and took the capital of Sanaa in 2014.

The Saudis intervened the following year.

TRT World's Oubai Shahbandar has more. 

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De-escalation of fighting

UN envoy Martin Griffiths said the two sides have signaled they are serious about de-escalating the fighting through calls they've made in recent weeks, and urged them to work to further reduce the violence in the Arab world's poorest nation, scene of massive civilian suffering.

"I'm also pleased to announce the signing of an agreement on the exchange of prisoners, detainees, the missing, the forcibly detained and individuals placed under house arrest," Griffiths said from the venue.

"It will allow thousands of families to be reunited, and it is product of very effective, active work from both delegations."

The international Red Cross said it would oversee the prisoner exchange, which is expected to take weeks.

The talks in the Swedish town of Rimbo, north of Stockholm, aim to set up "a framework for negotiations" on a future peace agreement, Griffiths said, calling the coming days a milestone nonetheless and urging the parties "to work in good faith ... to deliver a message of peace."

The fighting in Yemen has generated the world's worst humanitarian crisis and claimed at least 10,000 lives, with experts estimating a much higher toll.

The Saudi-led group has conducted thousands of airstrikes, hitting schools, hospitals and wedding parties in what critics call reckless bombardment that have killed numerous civilians. The Houthis have, for their part, fired long-range missiles into Saudi Arabia and targeted vessels in the Red Sea. Both sides stand accused of war crimes.

UN officials, however, have sought to downplay expectations from the talks, saying they don't foresee rapid progress toward a political settlement but hope for at least minor steps that would help to address Yemen's worsening humanitarian crisis and prepare a framework for further negotiations.

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Guterres welcomes the talks 

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the talks and urged the parties to make progress on the agenda outlined by Griffiths, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in New York.

The UN chief appealed to the warring parties "to continue the de-escalation of (the key port city of) Hodeida and explore other measures to mitigate the life-threatening economic and humanitarian situation," Dujarric said.

Some Yemeni voices on both sides fired off last-minute demands, sniping commentary and finger-pointing, while combat continued on the ground in some areas.

Fighting raged in the central city of Taiz, long a contested battleground, where residents were hopeful yet highly skeptical they had much to look forward to amid the poverty.

"We here in Taiz have been three years without salaries, and still we are here in the street, looking for an income," said local Faisal al Asali from a street cafe.

Griffiths said the talks would address several main points mentioned by both sides: broader prisoner exchanges, the release of funds to the central bank to pay civil servants in rebel-controlled territory, a possible handover of the port at Hodeida to the UN, and rebel calls to lift the coalition's blockade of Sanaa airport to commercial traffic.

"I believe that we can also here in the coming days find solutions on specific issues that will improve cooperation and reduce suffering," he said.

Both the internationally recognised government and the Houthi rebels say they are striving for peace.

The Houthi delegation arrived in Stockholm late Tuesday, accompanied by Griffiths.

The government delegation and the head of the rebel delegation travelled to Sweden on Wednesday.

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UN food agency to scale up food distribution 

Meanwhile, the UN food agency said Thursday it is planning to rapidly scale up food distribution to help another 4 million people in Yemen over the next two months, more than a 50-percent increase in the number reached now — if access can be maintained in the war-stricken country.

World Food Program spokesman Herve Verhoosel said the "ambitious undertaking" finalises plans in the works in recen t months to reach 12 million people with food and nutritional supplements through January, up from between 7-8 million now.

The target population includes some 3 million women and children who need special support to prevent malnutrition. Verhoosel said the rollout will require "safe, immediate and unimpeded access for food and other vital supplies."

Twenty million people, or 70 percent, of Yemenis are "food insecure," UN Humanitarian Coordinator Lisa Grande said, meaning they do not have reliable access to sufficient amounts of nutritious food.

Sweden's foreign minister who opened the talks, Margot Wallstrom, wished the Yemen adversaries strength to find "compromise and courage" as they embark on the difficult task ahead.

"Now it is up to you, the Yemini parties," she said. "You have the command of your future."

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