Foreign Secretary attends UN Yemen Peace Talks in Stockholm
Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, travelled to Stockholm yesterday evening to attend the UN-led Yemen peace talks.
The visit follows his efforts, during visits to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran, to help kick start a political process to bring an end to the Yemen conflict.
While in Stockholm on Thursday morning the Foreign Secretary will meet UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths. The Foreign Secretary will also host meetings with members of the Government of Yemen and the Houthi delegation to the peace talks – the first time a UK Minister has met with Houthi officials since the conflict in Yemen began.
Speaking ahead of his visit the Foreign Secretary said:
Yemen is the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe, and these peace talks represent the best opportunity in years to move towards the political solution the people of Yemen urgently need. I applaud the historic strides the UN Special Envoy has already made in bringing the parties together for the first time since 2016.
Some of the important confidence building measures I discussed in my recent visits to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran - including the evacuation of wounded Houthis from Yemen and a potential prisoner swap - have been agreed and delivered. But the most important measure for a lasting peace is dialogue, and we are already seeing the benefits of talks between the Government of Yemen and the Houthi delegation.
For our part, the UK will continue to use all tools at our disposal to bolster the UN Special Envoy. This includes through our work in the Security Council.
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