UN chief appeals for halt to fighting in Yemen for Ramadan as world body launches peace talks

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, right, speaks next to The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, left, on the first day of the Geneva Consultations on Yemen peace talks between Yemen's warring factions, at the European headquarters of the United Nations, UN, in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, June 15, 2015. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon pressed Monday for a halt to fighting in Yemen at the beginning of Ramadan, which starts later this week, as the world body launched talks aimed at brokering peace. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP) (The Associated Press)

Yemen's Foreign Minister Riad Yassin, right, and Yemen's Minister of Human Rights Ezzedine Al-Asbahi, second right, attend the Geneva Consultations on Yemen peace talks between Yemen's warring factions, at the European headquarters of the United Nations, UN, in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, June 15, 2015. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon pressed Monday for a halt to fighting in Yemen at the beginning of Ramadan, which starts later this week, as the world body launched talks aimed at brokering peace. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP) (The Associated Press)

Yemeni Foreign Minister Riad Yassin, 3rd right, and Yemen's Minister of Human Rights Ezzedine Al-Asbahi , fourth right, attend the Geneva Consultations on Yemen peace talks between Yemen's warring factions, at the European headquarters of the United Nations, UN, in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, June 15, 2015. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon pressed Monday for a halt to fighting in Yemen at the beginning of Ramadan, which starts later this week, as the world body launched talks aimed at brokering peace. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP) (The Associated Press)

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has called for a halt to fighting in Yemen at the beginning of Ramadan, which starts later this week, as the world body launches talks aimed at brokering peace.

Ban called Monday for a new "humanitarian pause" to make it possible to get aid to Yemenis in need and called for the warring factions to go beyond that and agree on local cease-fires.

The talks in Geneva are scheduled to last two or three days and Ban said he expects the final delegations will arrive later Monday.

He said that "the region simply cannot sustain another open wound like Syria and Libya."