Biden welcomes truce extension in Yemen

WASHINGTON

US President Joe Biden welcomed on Thursday the extension of a truce mediated by the UN concerning the Yemen conflict.

He urged all parties to move to an inclusive peace process.

"Ending the war in Yemen has been a priority of my administration," Biden said in a statement, and he thanked his Special Envoy Tim Lenderking and UN’s Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg.

"Their work, however, is not finished. I urge all parties to move expeditiously towards a comprehensive and inclusive peace process. Our diplomacy will not rest until a permanent settlement is in place," he said.

Biden lauded Saudi Arabia for demonstrating "courageous leadership by taking initiatives early on to endorse and implement terms of the UN-led truce," and Oman for hosting and facilitating dialogue.

"Egypt and Jordan opened their airports to flights from Yemen over the past month thereby enabling a key component of the truce process," said Biden.

The truce between Yemen’s warring rivals was extended for two months Thursday, shortly before it was set to expire.

Grundberg said the extended truce enters into force upon the expiry of the current truce Thursday at 1900 Yemeni local time (1600GMT).

The truce holds the same condition as the agreement that took effect April 2.

According to the UN envoy, civilian casualties dropped significantly since the truce took effect.

Yemen’s warring rivals agreed to a UN-brokered two-month truce under which all military operations were halted. The agreement included the operation of commercial flights from the rebel-held Sanaa Airport in the Yemeni capital.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition entered the war in early 2015 to restore the Yemeni government to power.

The eight-year conflict has created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, with millions suffering from hunger.