US, Britain call for immediate ceasefire in Yemen

Thứ Hai, 17/10/2016, 19:17

The United States and Britain called on October 16 for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Yemen to end violence between Iran-backed Houthis and the government, which is supported by Gulf states.

A Saudi-led campaign in Yemen has come under heavy criticism since an air strike on a funeral gathering in the Yemeni capital Sanaa that killed 140 people according to a United Nations' estimate and 82 according to the Houthis.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Britian counterpart. (Photo: Reuters)

On October 15, a US admiral said a destroyer had again been targeted in the Red Sea in an apparent failed missile attack launched from the coast of Yemen.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said if Yemen's opposing sides accepted the ceasefire then the special envoy to the UN, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, would work through the details and announce when and how it would take effect. 

"This is the time to implement a ceasefire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table," Kerry told reporters.

Reuters