UN chief pledges Houthi pullout from Hudaydah: Yemen

Yemeni gov't and Houthis held peace talks in Sweden, which resulted in ceasefire deal in Al-Hudaydah

By Mohammed al-Samei

SANAA (AA) – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has pledged a Houthi withdrawal from the coastal province of Al-Hudaydah, Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Yamani said Sunday.

"During a meeting on Saturday, the UN Secretary-General promised not to let the Yemeni people down," al-Yamani said on Twitter.

“Guterres said Al-Hudaydah agreement will be implemented, and the Houthis will leave the city and the ports as a first step towards achieving peace in Yemen," he added.

The top Yemeni diplomat has held a series of talks with officials in New York, including Guterres, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo.

Last month, the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels held UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden, which resulted in a ceasefire deal in Al-Hudaydah.

However, the warring parties have failed to withdraw from the province amid accusations of breaching the truce, and fighting continued in other parts of the country.

Impoverished Yemen has remained dogged by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.

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