Yemeni leader urges regional organisations to make peace

Sanaa, June 13 (IANS) Rashad Al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), called for regional organisations, such as the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council, to make peace and defend the the war-torn nation's interests.

Al-Alimi made the remarks while addressing the Arab League in Cairo, during which he criticised the Houthi militia for violating the ongoing truce, Xinhua news agency reported.

He leader said the conflicts in Yemen, a country that holds a strategic position at the eastern Red Sea, are threatening the region's security and the safety of one of the world's most important shipping lines.

The warring parties in Yemen entered into a nationwide ceasefire on April 2.

Although the truce remains in force, mutual accusations of breaches are still traded between the internationally recognised government and the Houthi group.

On April 7, Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi issued a decree on establishing the PLC headed by Al-Alimi to succeed him in running the government and holding peace talks with the Houthis.

Al-Alimi arrived in Cairo on Saturday for his first visit to Egypt as the Yemeni leader.

He held a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, who reiterated his country's support for the Yemeni government.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million, and pushed the country to the brink of famine.