Saudi delegation to Yemen for peace talks
Saudi Arabia’s recent rapprochement with Iran, a key backer of the Houthi rebels, could help sign a new ceasefire in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber (right), is welcomed by the rebels’ political leader, Mehdi Machad (left).
AFP
A Saudi delegation traveled to the Yemeni capital on Sunday to negotiate a new ceasefire with Iran-backed Houthi rebels who control the city, as Saudi Arabia looks for a way out of the war.
Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, was received by the rebels’ political leader, Mehdi Machad, Houthi media, Sabah news agency and Al-Masira TV channel reported. Post-broadcast footage shows the two men shaking hands.
Saudi negotiators came to “discuss ways to move forward towards establishing peace”, two Yemeni diplomats working in the Gulf told AFP and requested anonymity. Saudi officials contacted by AFP declined to comment on the report.
Expect a peace
Like entire parts of Yemeni territory, Sana’a has been under the control of the Iran-aligned Houthis for more than eight years. Since 2015, a military coalition led by neighboring Saudi Arabia has failed to drive out the rebels in favor of pro-government forces.
Saudi officials have visited Sana’a in the past, but the visits are rare and often low-key. But while Sunni Saudi Arabia has been trying for months to extricate itself from this quagmire, a recent rapprochement with its arch-regional rival, Shiite Iran, has fueled hopes for a truce in the Middle East, particularly in Yemen.
The poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The eight-year war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions, with major challenges such as epidemics, acute hunger and economic collapse, and dwindling international aid.
“priority”
“Progress in Yemen has always been a priority for the Saudis, but without the Iranians, things will not happen as fast as we are seeing today,” Saudi analyst Hesham Alkhannam told AFP. “In the past, discussions (with the Houthis) have not been very productive, to say the least,” noted the Riyadh-based academic.
Arriving on Saturday, Omani mediators also agreed to sign a lasting ceasefire agreement in Sana’a. A ceasefire in Yemen was agreed a year ago and has since been largely held, but was not formally renewed when it expired last October. Yemeni government sources told AFP that the new ceasefire under discussion would include long-standing demands by the rebels.
The first is to lift the Saudi military’s air and sea blockade of the country, which prevents rebel-held airports and ports from operating without Riyadh’s permission. Another demand: that the salaries of all government employees, including those working in Houthi-controlled areas, be paid by the government, which owns most of the energy wealth.
AFP
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