France "extremely concerned" by situation in Yemen after Saleh's killing

PARIS, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- France on Tuesday expressed concerns over violence escalation in Yemen, calling for swift negotiation of a ceasefire in the country "to avoid worsening the crisis," the country's foreign ministry said.

As the situation remained "highly uncertain" in Sanaa after the killing of former president Ali Abbdullah Salah, Paris "calls on the Yemeni parties to resume negotiations swiftly and without preconditions to achieve a lasting political solution to the crisis."

"Protecting local populations and civic infrastructures and providing complete, unconditional, unfettered access to humanitarian aid are obligations under international humanitarian law, and are incumbent upon all parties to the conflict," the Quai d'Orsay said.

Yemen plunged into a wave of violent clashes which led to Saleh's assassination by Iran-backed Houthi militants on Monday after he announced he broke their alliance to oppose them.

After more than three decades in power, Saleh was ousted during the Arab Spring in 2011. In late 2014, he allied with the Houthi militants and seized power from the internationally recognized government led by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The year-long military battle between the Iran-allied Houthis who control Sanaa against a Saudi-led military alliance backing a government based in the south, has dragged the country to the world's worst famine and humanitarian crisis. Enditem