France deplores multiple deaths in Yemeni violence

PARIS, Sept 19 (KUNA) -- The French government on Monday said it deplores the latest round of violence, which killed at least 26 people and wounded several hundred during a demonstration in the capital, Sana'a, on Sunday.

More deaths were reported in violence on Monday and reports said security forces and snipers had fired for the second day on public protests.

"France calls for dialogue among all political forces and for restraint so that these murderous clashes can end," an official statement from the Foreign Ministry said here.

The statement also noted that because of the violent context, the food situation for the population was deteriorating and this made an agreement between the political forces "more and more urgent." France called on the parties to create the environment to "allow for the rapid signature of an accord on the basis of the initiative by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)." The GCC has already sent several missions to Yemen to broker an agreement but last-minute retractions by the Yemeni government prevented this.

On Monday, a GCC envoy again went to Sana'a to attempt to bring an end to the conflict.