Party of ex-leader of Yemen urges UN truce

The political party of Yemen’s former longtime autocrat says that it welcomes a UN resolution calling for a cease-fire in the country, urging all involved in the conflict, including a Saudi-led Arab coalition, to observe it.

In a statement issued Sunday on its website, Ali Abdullah Saleh’s General People’s Congress says that it would “respond positively” to the UN Security Council resolution issued last week. Pro-Saleh forces have been fighting alongside the Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, who have seized the capital, Sanaa, and other cities.

“(The party) welcomes the UN Secretary-General’s call to for a cease-fire from all sides and a return to dialogue under the auspices of the United Nations,” it says. It adds that it urges parties “inside and outside” the country to respond to the call.

The resolution demands that all Yemeni parties, especially the Houthis, end violence and return swiftly to UN-led peace talks aimed at a political transition. It makes no mention of the Saudi-led airstrikes targeting the rebels and pro-Saleh forces.

— AP