Yemen’s rebels say UK Foreign Secretary ‘misrepresents’ agreements on Hodeida

4 Mar, 2019 15:32 / Updated 5 years ago

Yemen’s Shiite rebels have criticized Britain’s foreign secretary over comments about the flashpoint port city of Hodeida, saying Jeremy Hunt had misrepresented what the warring sides agreed on at UN peace talks in Sweden. During a visit on Sunday to Yemen, Hunt said that Hodeida “was supposed to be cleared of militia and left under neutral control by the beginning of January.” Hodeida is a key entry point for humanitarian aid to the country. Mohammed Abdul-Salam, spokesman for the rebel Houthis, said on Monday that the December UN-brokered deal in Sweden never mentioned handing Hodeida to a neutral party, AP reports. He said it stipulated that after warring sides withdraw, Hodeida would be patrolled by an unspecified “local force” with UN observers.