UN chief asks envoy to postpone Yemen talks in Geneva

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked his envoy to Yemen on Tuesday to postpone talks in Geneva at the request of the Yemeni government and other stakeholders, Anadolu has reported.

“The Secretary-General has asked his Special Envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, to postpone the consultations in Geneva planned for May 28,” said a UN statement. “The Secretary-General is actively working to convene the talks at the earliest possible time. He is disappointed that it has not been possible to commence such an important initiative at the soonest possible date.”

Meanwhile, Mr Ban has reiterated his call for all parties to engage in UN-facilitated consultations in good faith and without pre-conditions. He called for Yemen’s political groups and countries in the region to work with “the aim of producing a comprehensive ceasefire and the resumption of peaceful dialogue and an orderly political transition.”

The conflict in Yemen has escalated after a five-day humanitarian pause in the war-torn country. At least 1,037 civilians were killed between 26 March and 20 May as a result of widespread and protracted violence, according to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).