A UN envoy said Wednesday (August 31st) that a return to a ceasefire in Yemen after weeks of heavy bombing and shelling was "critical" to renewing peace talks, AFP reported.
Three months of negotiations in Kuwait ended without a breakthrough on August 7th, triggering what UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed described as a "dangerous escalation in military activities".
"In order to accelerate the path to renewed talks, the resumption of the cessation of hostilities will be critical," he told the Security Council.
A new ceasefire will "spare Yemen the further loss of life, allow the increased flow of humanitarian assistance and generate much needed confidence for the negotiation of a comprehensive and peaceful solution", he said.
The envoy said a new ceasefire should begin with the deployment of a de-escalation committee in the border area of Dharan al-Janub and should include "a full end to all military activities by land, sea or air, and using any kind of weapon".
He stressed the need for quick progress, given the worsening economic crisis.
Meanwhile, speaking on the sidelines of a Tuesday workshop on post-war recovery organised by Yemen's government and the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), Yemeni Minister of Local Administration Abdulraqeb Saif Fateh said the cost reconstruction could reach $15 billion.
