National
0

MPs Oppose UN Plan for Yemen Peace

MPs Oppose UN Plan for  Yemen Peace
MPs Oppose UN Plan for  Yemen Peace

Lawmakers have criticized a UN peace proposal to end a 19-month war in Yemen for failing to accommodate the national interests of the Arab country.

A conflict between the Yemeni government led by the Houthi movement and the fugitive president Abd-Rabbuh Mansur Hadi has left thousands of people dead and triggered a humanitarian crisis in one of the Arab world's poorest countries.

An Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened in the conflict by launching an air campaign in March 2015 to restore Hadi to power and prevent the Houthis and forces loyal to the former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, from taking the reins of the country.

"The plan for Yemen's peace talks is doomed, as it fails to consider the role of the Yemeni people," Alireza Rahimi said in an interview with ICANA on Tuesday.

Farhad Tajari, another member of parliament, echoed Rahimi's view of the UN initiative, describing it as a "sham".

Details of the roadmap, which includes security and political arrangements, have not been made public, but according to informed sources, the proposed peace plan gives the Houthis, who are in control of large swathes of the country, including the capital of Sana'a, a share of the future government.

The plan also shrinks the president's powers in exchange for the Houthis' withdrawal from several major cities, including the capital, and the handover of their heavy weapons to a third party, Press TV reported. The president must also transfer power to the vice president, who in return appoints a new premier to form a new government, in which the Houthi-controlled north and the pro-Hadi south would have equal representation.

Lawmaker Gholamali Jafarzadeh described the UN plan as a joint US-Saudi plot that ignores the war crimes committed by Saudis. 

"Any UN peace plan should require an end to the Saudi intervention in Yemen and force Riyadh to compensate Yemen for the war damage," he said. 

The United Nations special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said on Monday the world body has reached an agreement with the Houthis to restart a new round of peace talks with Hadi's representatives to end the conflict.

On October 29, 2016, Hadi rejected the peace proposal by Cheikh Ahmed, saying the plan "rewards" the Houthi Ansarullah movement.

Add new comment

Read our comment policy before posting your viewpoints

Financialtribune.com