Yemen's president told the United Nations on Monday that he has asked the Saudi-led coalition to begin a 7-day ceasefire on Dec. 15 to coincide with U.N.-sponsored peace talks aimed at ending months of fighting that has killed nearly 6,000 people.
"I informed the coalition's leadership that we intend to start a ceasefire for 7 days, from December 15th to 21st, in conjunction with the consultations," President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi said in a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, excerpts of which were seen by Reuters.
Hadi's letter to Ban, which it said was also sent to the U.N. Security Council, confirmed remarks made earlier on Monday by U.N. special envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who said Hadi's exiled government of Iran-backed Houthis were committed to the peace process laid down by the Security Council in April.