The United Arab Emirates said on Sunday it had halted its military campaign against the Iran-aligned Houthis for control of Yemen's main port city of Hudaida to support U.N. efforts to reach a political solution.
U.N. special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, has been shuttling between the warring parties to avert an all-out attack on the port, a lifeline for millions of Yemenis. He said on Thursday that he hoped negotiations could restart in the next few weeks.
An Arab-led coalition launched an offensive on Hudaida on June 12 in the largest battle of the war that the United Nations fears risks triggering a famine in Yemen where an estimated 8.4 million people are on the verge of starvation.
The frontlines have been quiet in the past week.
"We welcome continuing efforts by U.N. Special Envoy, Martin Griffiths, to achieve an unconditional Houthi withdrawal from Hodeida city and port. We have paused our campaign to allow enough time for this option to be fully explored. We hope he will succeed," UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Twitter.
AFP
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