UN envoy proposes roadmap for Yemen peace

The UN special envoy to Yemen said on Tuesday he has proposed a roadmap for a peaceful settlement to end 14 months of armed conflict in the impoverished Arab nation.

The war pitting Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies against pro-government fighters backed by a Saudi-led coalition has cost more than 6,400 lives since March 2015.

Another 2.8 million people have been displaced and more than 80 percent of the population are in urgent need humanitarian aid, according to UN figures.

The envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed proposed the roadmap after two months of negotiations in Kuwait.

"The roadmap provides for the implementation of the security arrangements specified in Security Council Resolution 2216 and the establishment of a national unity government," he said in a briefing to the UN Security Council from Kuwait City.

Security arrangements under Resolution 2216 require the Huthi rebels and their allies to withdraw from areas they occupied in 2014, including the capital Sanaa, and the handover of weapons.

Under the roadmap, the national unity government would ensure the delivery of basic services, address the recovery of the economy and prepare for dialogue paving the way for a comprehensive solution, said Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

"The delegations have responded positively to the proposals, but have not yet reached agreement on the sequencing of the different steps provided in the roadmap," mainly when would the national unity government be formed, he said.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed urged the two sides to speed up the process of reaching a final accord.

The government has resisted proposals for a unity administration before the rebels' withdrawal and handover of arms, fearing it would undermine the international legitimacy of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.