Via Arab News: Arab coalition announces two-week ceasefire in Yemen. Excerpt and then a comment:
RIYADH: The Arab coalition fighting to restore the legitimate Yemeni government has announced a two-week ceasefire in Yemen which will start at midday on Thursday (local time), Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Coalition spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki said the coalition “supported the Yemeni government’s decisions to accept the call of the United Nation's secretary-general for a ceasefire in Yemen to face the consequences of the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and the invitation of the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths, for a ceasefire and a de-escalation, and to take practical steps to build confidence between the two parties in a humanitarian and economic aspect."
Al-Maliki said that due to the seriousness and desire of the coalition to "create appropriate conditions to conclude and succeed the efforts of the UN envoy to Yemen and to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people and work to confront the coronavirus pandemic and prevent it from spreading," the coalition announced a comprehensive ceasefire in Yemen for a period of two weeks, starting from 12 p.m. on Thursday.
This period, he added, is extendable with the aim of creating conditions for implementing Griffith's invitation to hold a meeting between the legitimate government and the Iran-backed Houthi militia, and a military team from the coalition under the UN envoy's supervision to discuss his proposals on steps and mechanisms to implement a permanent ceasefire In Yemen, steps to build human and economic confidence, and the resumption of the political process between the Yemeni parties to reach consultations between towards a comprehensive political solution.
Col. Al-Maliki added that the coalition is looking for an opportunity to join all efforts to reach a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire in Yemen, and agree on serious, concrete and direct steps to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people and will greatly support all these basic steps with the UN, in order to reach a comprehensive and just political solution agreed by the Yemenis.
Prince Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's deputy minister of defense, said the two-week ceasefire "will hopefully create a more effective climate to de-escalate tensions."
It will give the parties a chance to work with the UN envoy in Yemen in carrying out steps to ease the suffering of Yemenis and protect them from the spreading COVID-19 disease, he said.
"The Kingdom has always been committed to reaching a comprehensive political settlement in Yemen and based on our responsibility to bring stability to the region at such a critical time, the Coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen has declared a two-week long ceasefire initiative," Prince Khalid tweeted.
Yemen has no reported COVID-19 cases so far, but is feared to be particularly vulnerable to an outbreak in view of its weak health care system and high incidence of poverty and malnutrition.
To help the Yemenis, Saudi Arabia will contribute $500 Million to the UN Humanitarian Response Plan for the country in 2020, plus $25 million to help combat the #COVID19 pandemic, Prince Khalid said on Wednesday.
Confronted with an enemy they can't bomb or starve, the Saudis have seized the opportunity to exit an ill-advised war in which bombing and starvation also failed to work. It's the first positive development that I can think of in this pandemic.
