Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


End to Yemen War Could Soon Be Reality

by Steve Herman

   ABU DHABI --

   U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says a cease-fire in Yemen could
   start as early as November 17, "provided that everybody does their
   part."

   Yemen's armed Houthi movement and a Saudi-led military alliance have
   agreed on supporting a solution for the conflict in Yemen based on the
   framework laid out to establish a new Yemeni national unity government
   by the end of the year.

   The Omani road map, based on an initiative by Kerry, calls for Yemeni
   President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi to hand power to a less divisive
   deputy in exchange for the Houthis withdrawing from Yemen's main
   cities.

   Kerry spoke Tuesday at the end of a visit to the United Arab Emirates
   and said he is very hopeful this agreement will come together and added
   the talks have "a potential to be a real turning point."

   "There's a humanitarian disaster in Yemen. There's serious security and
   economic and political and humanitarian challenges and our sense is,
   and most of the parties we talked to, agree, in fact all the parties we
   talked to agree that there's no military solution. So, if that is the
   fact then you've got to get into what is the political solution," Kerry
   said.

   'Constructive' discussion
   Kerry also said he had a "very constructive discussion" with Yusuf bin
   Alawi, the minister responsible for foreign affairs, before also
   talking about the bloody and desperate situation in neighboring Yemen
   with Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

   The absolute monarch and Kerry discussed the importance of peace talks
   and getting a framework in place. In the past, neither side was willing
   to stop fighting.

   The U.S. official said he Houthi agreed "for the first time publicly"
   to send representatives to de-escalation and coordinating committee and
   to "accept the road map including the sequencing that is in the road
   map presented by the envoy as a basis for negotiations."

   FILE - People stand near bodies of those who were killed at the
   al-Zaydiya security headquarters, that was destroyed by Saudi-led
   airstrikes in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, Yemen.

   Humanitarian impact
   The conflict in Yemen in the past 20 months has killed an estimated
   10,000 people and millions are in need of food with starvation setting
   in, according to the United Nations.

   The majority of Yemen's 27 million people are also in urgent need of
   health services and the country is at risk for a significant cholera
   outbreak, according to U.N. agencies.

   "Thus far, the Emirates and the Saudis I talked to ... they have both
   agree to move forward with this. They believe it makes sense," Kerry
   added.