Oman, UN discuss efforts to maintain Yemen truce

ISTANBUL

Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi on Tuesday discussed with UN envoy Hans Grundberg efforts to maintain a UN-brokered truce in Yemen, according to the official Omani News Agency.

During their meeting in the Omani capital Muscat, the officials "exchanged views on endeavors and efforts made to secure the continuation of the truce in Yemen, to achieve the aspirations of the brotherly Yemeni people for security and stability," the agency said.

On Monday, Grundberg held talks in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with the head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, and Saudi Ambassador Muhammad al-Jaber regarding efforts to extend the truce.

On August 2, Yemen’s warring rivals agreed to extend an UN-brokered truce for two additional months. Under the cease-fire, which was first reached on April 2, all military operations were halted.

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

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat