Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoUnifeed
SWEDEN / YEMEN TALKS
STORY: SWEDEN / YEMEN TALKS
TRT: 03:21
SOURCE: GOVERNMENT OF SWEDEN / UN POOL
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 13 DECEMBER 2018, RIMBO, SWEDEN
1. Wide shot, exterior conference venue
2. Wide shot, UN and Swedish flags
3. Zoom in, dais
4. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The agreements today mean a lot, not only for the Yemeni people, mean a lot for humanity if this can be a starting point for peace and for ending the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.”
5. Various shots, negotiations
6. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“You have reached an agreement on Hodeidah port and city, which will see a mutual re-deployment of forces from the port and the city, and the establishment of a Governorate-wide ceasefire. The UN will play a leading role in the port. This will facilitate the humanitarian access and the flow of goods to the civilian population. And it will improve the living conditions for millions of Yemenis.”
7. Various shots, negotiations
8. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“You have also reached a mutual understanding to ease the situation in Taizz. And I believe this will lead to the opening of humanitarian corridors and the facilitation of demining. Before coming here, you had already agreed on a prisoners’ exchange. Now, you have agreed on a timeline and details for implementing the exchange, allowing thousands - I repeat, thousands - of Yemenis to be reunited with their families. And finally, very important step for the peace process, you have agreed to engage in the discussions on a Negotiating Framework in the next meeting. This is a critical element for the future political settlement to end the conflict.”
9. Wide shot, Guterres and Yemeni parties’ representatives shake hands
10. Wide shot, participants
11. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“If this is the glass, the glass was empty. What we did was to start putting some water in the glass. But there is still a long way to go. So, this was the beginning of filling the glass. What is important is that it is a beginning that is meaningful. If we only have an exchange of prisoners, it would be very important for the prisoners, it would be very meaningful for the families, but it would not really mean progress on central issues. But everybody agrees that the most difficult problem we had on the table was Hodeidah. And the fact that it was possible to have an agreement on Hodeidah proves that we are really, still, with the bottle ready to go on pouring water until the glass is full. And the glass is full is: peace in Yemen with a full Yemeni political solution for Yemeni problems.”
12. Zoom out, end of press encounter
The announcement of a ceasefire between Yemen’s warring parties in and around the key port of Hudaydah, was hailed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres today (13 Dec) as a deal which would improve the lives of millions of people.
Speaking on the last day of UN-led talks in Sweden to decide the future of the war-torn country, where its people are in the grip of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, Guterres told those present that “the agreements today mean a lot, not only for the Yemeni people,” but also “mean a lot for humanity if this can be a starting point for peace and for ending the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.”
Guterres said, “you have reached an agreement on Hudaydah port and city, which will see a mutual re-deployment of forces from the port and the city, and the establishment of a Governorate-wide ceasefire,” noting that the UN would play “a leading role” in the port.
He added that “this will facilitate the humanitarian access and the flow of goods to the civilian population. It will improve the living conditions for millions of Yemenis.”
While noting that pending issues have yet to be resolved, the UN chief noted that representatives from the internationally-recognised Government of Yemen and the opposition had made real progress which had yielded several important results.
These, Guterres said, included a “mutual understanding to ease the situation in Taizz”, in reference to the country’s third largest city.
He expressed hope “this will lead to the opening of humanitarian corridors and the facilitation of demining.”
On the previously-agreed issue of a mass exchange of prisoners, the UN Secretary-General noted that both delegations had drawn up a timeline and provided further details on when it might happen.
He said this would allow “thousands - I repeat, thousands - of Yemenis to be reunited with their families,”
Looking ahead to a new meeting between both parties in the new year, the UN chief insisted that another “very important step for the peace process” had been agreed, namely a willingness to discuss a framework for negotiations.
Guterres said, “you have agreed to meet again to continue to discuss this further at the end of January during the next round of negotiations,” adding that it was a “critical element” of a future political settlement to end the conflict.
At a later press conference, while pouring water into an empty glass, Guterres said, “if this is the glass, the glass was empty. What we did was to start putting some water in the glass. But there is still a long way to go. So, this was the beginning of filling the glass. What is important is that it is a beginning that is meaningful. If we only have an exchange of prisoners, it would be very important for the prisoners, it would be very meaningful for the families, but it would not really mean progress on central issues. But everybody agrees that the most difficult problem we had on the table was Hodeidah. And the fact that it was possible to have an agreement on Hodeidah proves that we are really, still, with the bottle ready to go on pouring water until the glass is full. And the glass is full is: peace in Yemen with a full Yemeni political solution for Yemeni problems.”
Nearly four years after fighting escalated between the Government of Yemen and Houthi opposition movement, known officially as Ansar Allah, more than 24 million people – three-quarters of the population – need some form of assistance and protection.
Some 20 million are food insecure and 10 million of these people do not know how they will obtain their next meal.
Download
There is no media available to download.
