TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Ban calls for immediate Ramadhan truce in Yemen
General Secretary Ban Ki-moon (R) speaks next to The United Nations Special Envoy of for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed on June 15, 2015 at the UN offices in Geneva at the opening of Yemen peace talks
Change Size
General Secretary Ban Ki-moon (R) speaks next to The United Nations Special Envoy of for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed on June 15, 2015 at the UN offices in Geneva at the opening of Yemen peace talks. Yemeni representatives from each side of the conflict pitting Iran-backed rebels against the internationally recognised government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and its allies are expected to take part in the talks in Geneva starting on June 15.(AFP/Fabrice Coffrini) (R) speaks next to The United Nations Special Envoy of for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed on June 15, 2015 at the UN offices in Geneva at the opening of Yemen peace talks. Yemeni representatives from each side of the conflict pitting Iran-backed rebels against the internationally recognised government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and its allies are expected to take part in the talks in Geneva starting on June 15.(AFP/Fabrice Coffrini)
G
span class="inline inline-center">General Secretary Ban Ki-moon (R) speaks next to The United Nations Special Envoy of for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed on June 15, 2015 at the UN offices in Geneva at the opening of Yemen peace talks. Yemeni representatives from each side of the conflict pitting Iran-backed rebels against the internationally recognised government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and its allies are expected to take part in the talks in Geneva starting on June 15. (AFP/Fabrice Coffrini)
UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Monday called for an immediate two-week humanitarian pause in Yemen to mark Ramadhan as talks got underway in Geneva to try and resolve the bloody conflict.
"I hope this week starts the beginning of the end of the fighting," Ban said.
"Ramadhan begins in two days," he said, stressing that the holy Muslim month should be a period for "harmony, peace and reconciliation".
"I have emphasized the importance of another humanitarian pause for two weeks," Ban said.
Ban dismissed fears that the talks would be torpedoed by the non-arrival of an Iran-backed rebel delegation in time for the talks. The team's plane was delayed in Djibouti, according to UN and diplomatic sources.
He said the delay was due to logistical reasons and added: "I am pleased to know that the other parties are on their way" and were expected to arrive later Monday.
Underscoring the need for immediate action in Yemen, he said: "The ticking clock is not a time piece, it is a time bomb."
He also called on all parties to reach agreement on a "comprehensive and lasting" ceasefire. (iik)(++++)
