UN chief hopes Yemen truce leads to ‘political process’

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the truce agreed by Yemen’s warring parties and expressed hope for a “political process” to bring peace to the country.

“You must take that momentum in order to make sure that this truce is fully respected and that it is renewed and… that a true political process is launched,” Guterres told reporters.

“This demonstrates that even when things look impossible, when there is the will to compromise, peace becomes possible.”

The United Nations said earlier that Yemen’s warring parties had agreed to a two-month extendable truce starting Saturday, the first day of Ramadan for many Muslims, as well as an accord on fuel shipments and Sanaa airport.

The announcement comes as discussions on Yemen’s devastating conflict take place in Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition supporting the government against the Iran-backed Houthis.

“I urge all parties to make the necessary arrangements to support the successful implementation of the truce, and to operationalize cooperation mechanisms without delay,” Guterrres said.