Germany to host international conference on Yemen

By Ayhan Simsek </p> <p>BERLIN (AA) – Germany will host an international meeting on Wednesday to support UN’s peace efforts in Yemen, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has announced.</p> <p>“After the Stockholm consultations and agreements, Germany has invited international partners and key actors to support UN efforts for peace in Yemen,” Maas said in a statement on Tuesday. </p> <p>He underlined that the agreement reached between conflict parties during last month’s talks in Stockholm offered a “real window of opportunity” to make further progress.</p> <p>“We must work to make the international community’s support for the upcoming process as constructive and strong as possible. This includes ensuring that further progress is not impeded by a lack of funds or lengthy administrative processes,” he said. </p> <p>UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths and Resident Coordinator of the UN in Yemen Lise Grande will attend the conference among other officials, according to the German Foreign Ministry.</p> <p>On Dec. 13, Yemeni peace talks held in Sweden concluded with a ceasefire deal in the coastal Al-Hudaydah province.</p> <p>However, the warring parties have failed to withdraw from the province amid accusations of breaching the truce, and fighting continued in other parts of the country.</p> <p>Impoverished Yemen has remained dogged by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.