Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the likelihood of success of the planned peace talks between the Yemeni government and Houthis in that country; and what steps the Government is taking to support agreement on an immediate ceasefire at those talks.

We welcome the commitment by President Hadi that the Government of Yemen will participate in UN negotiations, and the commitment by the Houthis, conveyed to UN Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, of their willingness to discuss Yemen’s return to sustainable peace and long-term stability. We encourage all parties to get behind the UN political process to achieving a lasting peace, and to enter peace talks in good faith and with no pre-conditions. We welcome the announcement by the UN Special Envoy that these talks are forthcoming. I discussed the importance of making progress in these talks with President Hadi on 25 November. We fully and actively support the UN’s efforts, in accordance with Security Council Resolution (SCR) 2216, which remains the framework to achieving lasting ceasefire and a mechanism for the withdrawal of forces, release of political prisoners and the resumption of an inclusive political process.