(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday that he instructed his special envoy to postpone previously announced Yemen talks in Geneva.
The consultations originally planned for Thursday have been delayed "following a request from the government of Yemen and other key stakeholders for more time to prepare," according to a statement issued by the UN spokesperson's office.
"[Ban] is disappointed that it has not been possible to commence such an important initiative at the soonest possible date and reiterates his call for all parties to engage in United Nations-facilitated consultations in good faith and without pre-conditions," said the statement.
According to media reports, the talks have been shelved after the country's internationally-recognized government, led by Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, declined to participate, citing the Shia Houthi rebels' refusal to implement a UN Security Council resolution that demanded their withdrawal from the capital, Sanaa, and all government institutions.
The talks, which were announced last week, were aimed at ending the current fighting in and restoring momentum toward a Yemeni-led democratic transition.
The UN chief instructed his special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed "to redouble his efforts to consult with the Yemeni government, Yemen's political groupings and countries in the region with the aim of producing a comprehensive cease-fire and the resumption of peaceful dialogue and an orderly political transition," read the statement.
Yemen has been in the grip of violence since the takeover of government institutions and parts of the country by Houthi rebels last September, which led to a dramatic escalation of violence and the eventual collapse of UN-backed talks to a reach a political solution in the fractious country.
The crisis prompted a Saudi Arabia-led coalition of Arab states to launch a bombing campaign that began March 25 against the group.
The UN estimates more than 1,870 victims have been killed and at least 540,000 have been displaced since March 19.
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