UN chief says the conflicting sides in Yemen agreed to Hodeidah ceasefire and reach agreement to ease the situation in Taiz.

Iran Press/ Middle east: The UN Secretary-General announced an agreement between the Yemeni groups. Antonio Guterres said conflicting sides agreed about the port of Al-Hudaydah, the arrival of humanitarian aid to the city of Taiz and the reduction of conflicts.

He also thanked the Yemeni delegations for "an important step" and "real progress toward future talks to end the conflict" and said that the next round of talks is planned for the end of January.

The United Nations would play a "leading role" at the Red Sea port, which is currently controlled by Ansarullah he said, adding that this will help "facilitate the humanitarian flow of good to the civilian population and it will improve the living conditions for millions of Yemenis".

According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Ansarallah forces have agreed to withdraw from all three ports in Hodeidah. The withdrawal will take place in two short phases, he said.

According to him, the ceasefire is designed to open up that east-west road that connects Hudaydah and Sanaa, so that the humanitarian pipeline, which is crucial to the people of Yemen can start delivering aid.

Guterres flew into Sweden late Wednesday to attend the closing session, which had been pushed back two hours from its announced time on Thursday.

Earlier on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reiterated Iran's support for the intra-Yemeni peace talks in Stockholm. "Iran welcomes initial agreements between Yemeni parties in Stockholm under supervision of UNSG (Secretary-General of the United Nations) envoy, and strongly supports continuation of talks to achieve a final accord on all issues. It is well past time for foreign aggressors to end their airstrikes & crimes against humanity," he tweeted.

Related news: Iran reaffirms support for Yemeni peace talks in Stockholm

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies have been carrying out deadly airstrikes against the Ansarullah movement in an attempt to restore power to fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.

Over 14,000 Yemenis, including thousands of women and children, have lost their lives in the Saudi deadly military campaign and International pressure has been mounting to halt the war. 

The last round of talks, hosted by Kuwait in 2016, collapsed after more than three months of negotiations with no breakthrough. 212/204

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