Yemen rebels reject UN peace plan

Yemen rebels on Sunday rejected a peace plan proposed by the United Nations which had already been accepted by the government, saying that any settlement must first tackle a unity administration.

“What was presented by the (UN) envoy was no more than just ideas for a solution to the security aspect, subject to debate like other proposals,” a statement from the rebel delegation in Kuwait said.

The statement cited by the rebel-run news agency charged that the Yemeni government announcement of a draft settlement was “no more than media stunts” aimed at foiling talks. The Iran-backed rebels reiterated their long-standing demand that a peace deal must first forge an accord on a new consensual executive authority, including a new president and government.

This condition is an explicit demand for the removal of the internationally recognised president, Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

However, the rebel delegation still welcomed UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed’s proposal to extend the talks for another week.

Earlier on Sunday, Hadi’s government said it accepted the UN-proposed plan stipulating that the Huthi Shiite rebels must withdraw from the capital Sanaa and two major cities which they overran in September 2014.