U.S. ENVOY TO YEMEN TIM LINDERKING HAS CALLED ON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO WORK TO TURN THE TRUCE IN YEMEN INTO A MORE COMPREHENSIVE PEACE PROCESS, THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT'S NEAR EAST DEPARTMENT SAID SUNDAY.
"The international community must work together to ensure that the truce in Yemen is transformed into a more comprehensive peace process and that Yemen is helped to stabilize its economy," Linderking said during a meeting with French Ambassador to Washington Philippe Etienne.
This comes a day after the United Nations announced saturday evening a preliminary consensus between yemen's internationally recognized government and the Houthi militia on a proposal to gradually reopen roads and crossings in Taiz and other provinces, under the truce agreement announced under the auspices of the United Nations.
This came at the end of a first round of direct talks, the first of its kind between the two sides, which lasted three days in Amman, Jordan, under the auspices of uns envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg.
Grundberg said in a statement that the proposal to gradually reopen roads included an implementation mechanism and safety guarantees for civilian passengers, based on options put forward by both parties.The international mediator called on the delegations of the parties to conclude their deliberations urgently and achieve positive results for the Yemeni people.
"The importance of lifting restrictions on the free movement of people and goods is not only the positive impact of lifting the suffering of Yemenis and reviving their economy, but will also help strengthen confidence in the political process," Grundberg said.
Abdul Karim Sheban, head of yemen's government's negotiating team, said the discussion and consultations in Amman on lifting the suffering of Taiz people and opening well-known official lines continued.
"As of this moment (Saturday evening), we are still waiting for the outcome of the UN envoy's efforts to persuade the Houthi delegation to approve it," Cheban said in a press release.
He expressed the hope that there would be a response to the demands of the people of Taiz "and to ensure that they have their legitimate right to move freely and with dignity, a right guaranteed by all local and international customs and laws".
The Yemeni government and international and human rights organizations have accused the Houthi group of imposing a suffocating siege on Taiz, Yemen's most populous city, for seven years, disrupting all life in the densely populated city under the legitimate government.