Kuwait issues ultimatum to Yemen negotiators

Kuwait, which is hosting troubled Yemen peace talks, has issued an ultimatum to the warring parties to strike a deal within 15 days or leave the Gulf state.

Three months of UN-brokered talks in Kuwait have failed to make headway with the Iran-backed Houthi militias and the government, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, both holding firm to their positions.

“We have given 15 days for Yemeni sides taking part in the talks to resolve all the issues,” Kuwait’s deputy foreign minister Khaled al-Jarallah told Al Arabiya News Channel late Wednesday.

“If matters are not resolved within the 15 days, we have hosted them enough and consequently our brothers have to excuse us if we cannot continue hosting” the talks, Jarallah said in Brussels.

The talks resumed in Kuwait on Saturday after a 15-day break.

UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said on Saturday that the negotiations would last for two weeks and warned that they may be Yemen’s last chance for peace.

“It’s time for decisive decisions that will prove your true intentions and national responsibilities to Yemenis,” he told a meeting of the two delegations.

The envoy said the discussions between the Huthis and their allies on one side and the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi on the other would focus on strengthening a ceasefire that came into effect on April 11 but which has been repeatedly violated.

They would also deal with “forming the military committees that will supervise the withdrawal and handover of weapons... and opening safe passages for humanitarian aid,” he said.