UN envoy and Sweden FM open Yemen talks
87 views · Published 11 December 2018 · 5:07 · Indexed 25 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(6 Dec 2018) Representatives from Yemen's warring sides sat in the same room in Sweden on Thursday as UN-sponsored peace talks for the war-torn Arab country got underway, aimed at halting a catastrophic three-year civil war. Sweden's foreign minister, Margot Wallstrom, opened the talks at a castle in Rimbo, a town north of Stockholm, wishing 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 are in charge of your own future." The UN envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, said the coming days were a milestone and urged the parties not to "waver... let us work in good faith ... to deliver a message of peace". Griffiths announced the sides have agreed on a prisoner exchange as a first step towards building confidence. He said both sides have signalled they were 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. UN officials, however, have sought to downplay expectations from the talks, saying they don't expect rapid progress towards a political settlement but hope for at least minor steps that would help to address Yemen's worsening humanitarian crisis. Both the internationally-recognised government, which is backed by a US-sponsored and Saudi-led coalition, and the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels say they are striving for peace. The Houthi delegation arrived in Stockholm late on Tuesday, accompanied by Griffiths. The government delegation and the head of the rebel delegation travelled to Sweden on Wednesday. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/ed21c202cc3e33b68082fe503a46c126
