No progress made since signing Sweden agreement: Yemeni FM

Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled Al Yamani said Thursday that no progress has been made on the ground since the signing of an agreement with the Houthis in Sweden in December last year.

"After almost one month since signing the deal, nothing has been realized on the ground and the rebels who started the coup did not leave the sea ports," the minister said at a joint press conference in Amman with Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi.

"In Stockholm, we stretched our hand for peace and thus we agreed to the Hodeidah Initiative and agreed to start talks to end the siege on Taiz," Al Yamani said.

"These initiatives are based on the assumption that the rebels will release the prisoners and withdraw from several sea ports, and nothing has so far happened," the top Yemeni diplomat added.

In December 2018, the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels reached an agreement during the peace talks in Sweden on the city of Hodeidah and the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa, an executive mechanism on activating the prisoner exchange agreement, and a statement of understanding on Taiz.

They vowed to fully implement the agreement, refrain from any action, escalation or decision that would undermine the full implementation of the agreement, and continue the consultation unconditionally in January 2019 at a location to be agreed upon by the parties.

For his part, Safadi told the press conference that Jordan has received a request from UN Envoy on Yemen Martin Griffiths to host a meeting between the Yemeni government and the Houthis in Jordan.

"Jordan will look into the request as soon as possible in line with our clear stand that supports all efforts that would help lead to resolving the Yemeni crisis in line with clear references leading to ending the suffering of the Yemenis," said the minister.

He added that Jordan will continue to exert all efforts to help resolve the Yemeni crisis.