UN says Iran ship with Yemen aid headed to Djibouti

The United Nations said an Iranian ship with humanitarian supplies for Yemen is heading to Djibouti, where the UN has its hub for the distribution of aid to the conflict-torn country.

UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Wednesday the UN received word from the Iranian government that the ship “will proceed to Djibouti.” It was originally reported to be heading to Yemen’s Hodeida port. The ship was rerouted after the United States said it would not allow the ship past its naval blockade of the country. American ally Saudi Arabia has said Iran supported and helped arm Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Haq said given concerns about the situation on the ground in Yemen, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged all countries and organizations to arrange aid deliveries with the UN to Djibouti for onward distribution in Yemen.

Earlier Wednesday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told the semi-official ISNA news agency that the vessel Nejat, or Rescue, will travel to Yemen in “full coordination with the UN.”

Peace talks on Yemen will begin next week in Geneva, the UN announced Wednesday, as the international community tries to end weeks of Saudi-led airstrikes against an Iran-supported rebel group and a growing humanitarian crisis that has left millions short of food and fuel.

As fighting in the Arab world’s poorest country continued with airstrikes against the rebels in at least five of Yemen’s northern provinces, the question quickly turned to who would show up for the talks starting May 28.

In a positive sign, the leader of the Houthi rebels, Abdul-Malek al-Houthi, called the talks the “only solution” for the conflict that the UN says has killed more than 1,800 people since mid-March.

Yemen’s UN Ambassador Khaled Alyemany said the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, now in exile in neighboring Saudi Arabia, will be represented at a high level, perhaps by the vice president.

But a top Hadi aide, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, reiterated earlier government demands that the Houthis first pull out of towns and cities, including the capital, Sanaa, that they captured starting last year. He said the government wouldn’t give up its condition for the talks.

In a speech broadcast on the rebels’ TV channel, al-Houthi gave no indication his forces would heed the demands to withdraw and instead called for new recruits and new training camps.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has urged all parties to engage in talks without preconditions, stressing the only way to resolve Yemen’s conflict is through an “inclusive, negotiated political settlement.” Ban was expected to attend the start of the Geneva talks.

The Geneva talks will be a test for the UN’s new envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who this month held meetings with rival political players in the country. At the time, the Houthis expressed readiness to resume peace talks in a “neutral” country.