Yemen FM: Kerry's remarks on ceasefire do not concern us

Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdulmalik Al-Mekhlafi said yesterday that the remarks made by US Secretary of State John Kerry on a ceasefire and the formation of a national unity government “do not concern the legitimate government of Yemen”.

“These remarks are an attempt to thwart peace efforts by reaching an agreement with the rebels and circumventing the legitimate government,” Al-Mekhlafi said in a post on Twitter.

“The US administration wants to achieve an accomplishment before the end of its mandate through an unfounded agreement,” he told Sky News Arabia.

Earlier yesterday, Kerry said in a press statement that “the Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led Arab coalition have agreed to a cessation-of-hostilities in Yemen to start on November 17.”

Kerry, who was speaking at the end of his visit to the UAE, also said Yemen’s warring rivals had agreed to begin working on a unity government by the end of this year.

Kerry’s comments came after undisclosed meetings with Saudi officials in the Omani capital Muscat on Monday evening, the Anadolu Agency quoted unnamed sources as saying.

There was no immediate comment from the Arab coalition on Kerry’s statements.