UN has `positive indications' for extending truce in Yemen

It has brought the first nationwide lull in fighting in the six-year civil war in the Arab worlds poorest country.On a positive note, Dujarric welcomed the first commercial flight from the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, to Cairo earlier Wednesday.

The United Nations said on the eve of Thursday's expiration of a two-month truce in Yemen that it has received “preliminary, positive indications” from the warring parties about extending the nationwide cessation of hostilities.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday that Hans Grundberg, the UN envoy for Yemen, “is involved in intense work on ensuring the renewal of the truce.” Yemen's internationally recognized government and Iran-backed Houthi rebels accepted the UN-brokered two-month truce at the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on April 2. It has brought the first nationwide lull in fighting in the six-year civil war in the Arab world's poorest country.

On a positive note, Dujarric welcomed the first commercial flight from the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, to Cairo earlier Wednesday. This followed last month's resumption of flights from Sanaa to the Jordanian capital, Amman.

The Sanaa-Cairo flight was the seventh from the capital, and Dujarric said a total of 2,495 Yemenis have traveled between Sanaa, Amman and Cairo so far.

Reopening Sanaa airport to commercial flights was part of the two-month truce agreement.

But the UN announced Saturday that the warring parties did not reach an agreement on another provision of the agreement during three days of talks in Amman — lifting a blockade by the Houthis of the country's third largest city, Taiz. (A)P AQS AQS