A window of opportunity for peace in Yemen seems to have opened as warring parties on Thursday entered the first round of UN-backed peace talks since the start of the civil war in 2015, but diplomats and analysts say they don't expect any major breakthrough.
UN Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, said he believes that peace can be achieved in the war-torn country but said that "he does not want to be overly optimistic," in the short-term.
"During the coming days we will have a critical opportunity to give momentum to the peace process," Griffiths told reporters as the rival delegations gathered in Sweden. But the UN envoy stressed that current talks are only "consultations."
"We are not yet beginning the process of negotiations," he said, managing expectations of what could result from such talks.
Considering that Yemen's peace process has been stalled for years, the fact that rival parties even showed up for talks is widely seen as a small victory, especially after Houthi rebels failed to attend a previous round of meetings in Geneva last September.
Netherlands Ambassador to Yemen Irma van Dueren told The National that this week's talks present Yemen's political process with a very unique opportunity as the parties are in one place.
"I agree with what UN Envoy Martin Griffiths said that we should be not overly optimistic but we should be ambitious," Ms Dueren said, adding that accomplishments must be made before officials depart Sweden.
"We have some very good advisory groups, we have tremendous efforts by the [UN] envoy himself, so I'm very hopeful that there will be some progress," Ms Dueren said.
Representatives of the two warring sides sat in the same room in the Swedish town of Rimbo, north of Stockholm, where Yemen's Foreign Minister, Khalid Al Yamani, acknowledged the Houthi delegation's presence.
The UN Envoy, who wanted to establish clear expectations for the Swedish talks, has outlined two objectives: an agreement on the future management of Hodeidah city and port and a de-escalation of violence.
The discussions will also focus on a humanitarian ceasefire in Hodeidah, re-opening the airport in Sanaa, placing the ports of Midi and Saleef under UN supervision, Cinzia Bianco, a senior analyst at Gulf State Analytics told The National.
"I am hopeful that at least some steps forward can be achieved on all fronts," Ms Bianco said.
This hope, however, is not placed in the realization that there is trust between the parties. Trust actually remains quite low and it is not yet clear how it could be fostered, Ms Bianco said.
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Yemen peace talks:
Yemen's warring parties appear together for first time since 2015
Yemeni government delegation arrives in Sweden for peace talks
Rebel Houthi delegation on way to Stockholm for peace talks
Editorial: Yemen breakthrough looks closer than ever
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Talks are expected to last a week, according to a UN official, but the duration will ultimately depend on the participating delegations.
Diplomats that were present during the meeting said they are also somewhat hopeful but are managing their expectations.
Mr Griffiths has done a fantastic job sorting out the logistical, sensitive issues and bringing the two sides together for the first time since 2016, UK Ambassador to Yemen, Michael Aron told The National.
"As Martin Griffiths said, he has high ambitions, although we worry about unrealistic expectations but he has realistic ambitions for the week," Mr Aron said.
The British Ambassador said that talks this week are going to be unpredictable due to the lack of trust between the two sides.
"Confidence-building measures are an important part of that trust, we hope we can make progress on that," Mr Aron said.
While the British diplomat is cautious regarding an imminent breakthrough, he did say that a political solution was a matter of urgency for Yemen's population, which is suffering dire humanitarian conditions.
"I think the Yemeni people can't wait any longer, they are suffering, there is a huge amount of responsibility on the delegations and we hope and expect to make progress on ending their suffering," Mr Aron said.
US Ambassador to Yemen Matthew Tueller, said that obstacles to a solution still exist but noted that Yemen's young generation is a cause for optimism.
"People often ask me if I'm optimistic or pessimistic and whenever I meet with Yemeni youth I'm optimistic for the future of their country, I'm very pleased that some of the delegation here include some representative from the youth and from the women's groups," Mr Tueller said.
The US diplomat expects that there will be some obstacles that will come up in the next few days because the differences between the two sides are "quite great".
"The legacy of the former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh left a power vacuum and the struggle to fill that power vacuum is still ongoing. I expect to see differences and obstacles but I hope at this point we can make some progress," Mr Tueller said.
The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter
1. Dubai silk road
2. A geo-economic map for Dubai
3. First virtual commercial city
4. A central education file for every citizen
5. A doctor to every citizen
6. Free economic and creative zones in universities
7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes
8. Co-operative companies in various sectors
9: Annual growth in philanthropy
T20 World Cup Qualifier, Muscat
UAE FIXTURES
Friday February 18: v Ireland
Saturday February 19: v Germany
Monday February 21: v Philippines
Tuesday February 22: semi-finals
Thursday February 24: final
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
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PROVISIONAL FIXTURE LIST
Premier League
Wednesday, June 17 (Kick-offs uae times) Aston Villa v Sheffield United 9pm; Manchester City v Arsenal 11pm
Friday, June 19 Norwich v Southampton 9pm; Tottenham v Manchester United 11pm
Saturday, June 20 Watford v Leicester 3.30pm; Brighton v Arsenal 6pm; West Ham v Wolves 8.30pm; Bournemouth v Crystal Palace 10.45pm
Sunday, June 21 Newcastle v Sheffield United 2pm; Aston Villa v Chelsea 7.30pm; Everton v Liverpool 10pm
Monday, June 22 Manchester City v Burnley 11pm (Sky)
Tuesday, June 23 Southampton v Arsenal 9pm; Tottenham v West Ham 11.15pm
Wednesday, June 24 Manchester United v Sheffield United 9pm; Newcastle v Aston Villa 9pm; Norwich v Everton 9pm; Liverpool v Crystal Palace 11.15pm
Thursday, June 25 Burnley v Watford 9pm; Leicester v Brighton 9pm; Chelsea v Manchester City 11.15pm; Wolves v Bournemouth 11.15pm
Sunday June 28 Aston Villa vs Wolves 3pm; Watford vs Southampton 7.30pm
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Tuesday June 30 Brighton vs Manchester United 9pm; Sheffield United vs Tottenham 11.15pm
Wednesday July 1 Bournemouth vs Newcastle 9pm; Everton vs Leicester 9pm; West Ham vs Chelsea 11.15pm
Thursday July 2 Arsenal vs Norwich 9pm; Manchester City vs Liverpool 11.15pm
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In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 1,000m, Winner: Hazeem Al Raed, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 85,000 (D) 1,000m, Winner: Ghazwan Al Khalediah, Hugo Lebouc, Helal Al Alawi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,400m, Winner: Dinar Al Khalediah, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi.
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