Iran voices support for Yemen peace talks in Stockholm

By Ahmet Dursun </p> <p>TEHRAN (AA) – Iran has welcomed a ceasefire agreement signed between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels following one week of peace talks in Stockholm.</p> <p>In a statement, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi described the preliminary agreement as “positive”. </p> <p>“It shows that both sides understand the catastrophic situation faced by the innocent people of Yemen as a result of the conflict,” Qassemi said.</p> <p>He went on to voice hope that Yemen’s Al-Hudaydah seaport — along with Sanaa’s international airport — would soon be ready to receive international humanitarian aid. </p> <p>According to Qassemi, Tehran believes that Yemen’s years-long crisis can only be resolved through direct talks between the two warring parties. </p> <p>The Houthis recently signed a cease-fire deal with Yemen’s Aden-based government, vowing to withdraw their forces from the western Al-Hudaydah province during the UN-backed peace talks in Sweden, which began on Dec. 6.</p> <p>Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa and the key port city of Al-Hudaydah. </p> <p>The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains. </p> <p>The violence has devastated Yemen’s infrastructure, including health and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.