The Yemeni government has allegedly softened its criticism of the current UN peace plan, a senior government official told Gulf News yesterday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the Yemeni government has formed political, security and military committees to assess the peace plan and report their final decision to UN envoy Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed.

“The government has apparently changed its mind and agreed to consider it. They should not have rejected it in the first place if they knew they would bow down to pressure.”

President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and his government initially vehemently rejected a fresh peace plan that proposed a unity government and demanded Hadi relinquish his powers to a new vice-president. Under the deal, the Houthis would withdrawal from major cities and the handover weapons to a third party.

Yemen has been locked in a bitter battle between Houthi rebels allied with forces loyal to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh and government forces led by Hadi, along with local tribes and resistance forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition.

MEY