First direct negotiations between Sanaa, Riyadh-backed govt held in Amman

The UN special envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said that representatives from the national salvation government and the Saudi-led coalition, and its loyalists, held the first meeting of the Military Coordination Committee with the aim of establishing a communication mechanism to stop the violations of the truce, in Amman, Jordan.

“This first in-person meeting of military representatives of the parties in a long time to discuss how to improve dialogue and communication between them is a crucial step towards building trust and supporting the political process,” said Mr. Grundberg in a statement on Saturday .

He indicated that the meeting’s constructive discussions focused on setting up a robust coordination mechanism for regular dialogue and communication to de-escalate and address incidents that impact civilians and threaten to derail the truce.

According to the statement, the representatives discussed options for a joint mechanism that will be tasked with addressing and de-escalating strategic and operational military and security incidents of concern in a timely manner.

The parties should continue those positive steps by ensuring the continuation of the work of this coordination committee, he stressed.

E.M