Jordan to host new talks on Yemen prisoner swap

A Yemeni man walks above debris of a building destroyed in Saudi-led air strikes in Yemen's capital Sanaa on February 1, 2019. (AFP)
Updated 04 February 2019
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Jordan to host new talks on Yemen prisoner swap

  • The swap, which could involve up to 15,000 detainees from each side, was agreed in principle as a confidence-building measure ahead of peace talks in Sweden in December

AMMAN: Yemeni government delegates and Houthi militia leaders will reconvene in Jordan from Tuesday for a new round of talks to thrash out a deal on a prisoner exchange, the UN said.

The swap, which could involve up to 15,000 detainees from each side, was agreed in principle as a confidence-building measure ahead of peace talks in Sweden in December.

In mid-January, representatives of Yemen’s warring parties held two days of talks in Amman during which they submitted lists of prisoners they wanted to see released to UN mediators.

Those talks were also attended by representatives of the United Nations, which brokered the swap agreement, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which will supervise its implementation.

On Wednesday government and rebel representatives would meet again in Amman for “technical” talks to “discuss the steps taken... (by both sides) to finalize the list of prisoners,” a UN statement said.

UN envoy Martin Griffiths and ICRC president Peter Maurer “are scheduled to take part in the first day” of the talks, the statement said without specifying how many days the meetings would last.

It also described the Jordan talks as “important,” and thanked the government in Amman for hosting them.

At the end of January, the Iran-linked Houthis released a Saudi soldier under the deal while the Arab coalition supporting the internationally recognized government set free seven Houthi prisoners.

That prisoner swap was the first to take place since Yemen’s warring sides agreed in Sweden a deal that involved a cease-fire in the lifeline port city of Hodeida.

For nearly four years, the Houthis have been locked in a war with the regional pro-government military coalition, which includes Saudi Arabia.

Some 10,000 people have been killed, according to the World Health Organization.


Egypt’s parliament approves cabinet reshuffle: state media

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Egypt’s parliament approves cabinet reshuffle: state media

CAIRO: Egypt’s parliament approved a limited cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday, endorsing changes proposed by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, state media reported.
The reshuffle brings in 14 new ministers and creates a new post for a deputy prime minister in charge of economic affairs, according to the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper.
The former head of parliament’s budget and planning committee, Hussein Issa, was appointed to that post.
Ahmed Rostom, a former specialist at the World Bank, was appointed minister of planning.
Mohamed Farid Saleh, who was executive chairman of Egypt’s Financial Regulatory Authority, was named minister of investment and foreign trade.
The changes also include the revival of the Ministry of Information, which will be headed by Diaa Rashwan, the current head of the State Information Service (SIS).
The ministry, tasked with overseeing media policy, had been dissolved several times following the 2011 uprising that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak, with its functions transferred later to media regulatory bodies.
As part of the reshuffle, the transport and industry ministries were separated.
Kamel Al-Wazir will continue as minister of transport only, having previously overseen both portfolios.
Planning was also separated from international cooperation, with Rania Al-Mashat remaining as minister of international cooperation.
Several key ministers retained their posts, including the ministers of finance, foreign affairs, defense, interior, petroleum and health.
The new government is expected to be sworn in on Wednesday, Egyptian media reported.