RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister of Defense Prince Khalid Bin Salman has welcomed the cease-fire announced by the Arab Coalition and asked the Houthi militia to act in order to ease the suffering of the Yemeni people in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Commenting on the Arab Coalition's announcement of the a comprehensive Yemen cease-fire for two weeks in a series of tweets, Prince Khalid said: "The Kingdom has always been committed to reaching a comprehensive political settlement in Yemen, and based on our responsibility to bring stability to the region at such a critical time, the Coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen has declared a two week long ceasefire initiative. Acknowledging Yemen's vulnerability to a COVID-19 outbreak, Prince Khalid announced Kingdom's contribution of $500 million to the UN Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen in 2020 and an additional $25 million to help combat the pandemic. Expressing hope for a political settlement of the Yemeni crisis while working in tandem with the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Prince Khalid said: "The two week ceasefire will hopefully create a more effective climate to deescalate tensions, work with @OSE_Yemen towards a sustainable political settlement, and focus efforts on securing the health and safety of our Yemeni brothers." Placing onus of maintaining the cease-fire, on the Houthi militia, Prince Khalid added: "The Houthis must finally show good will by seriously engaging UN Envoy Mr. Martin Grifiths towards implementing steps that will ease the suffering of the Yemeni people and protect the Yemeni people from an epidemic of which the world has never seen before." Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths also welcomed the cease-fire declaration by the Arab Coaltion in a tweet: "The parties must now utilize this opportunity & cease immediately all hostilities with the utmost urgency and make progress towards comprehensive and & sustainable peace."
