A Saudi delegation began a rare visit to the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, to negotiate with the Houthi group to finalize arrangements for a permanent ceasefire agreement that paves the way for a political settlement in the country.
The visit comes in parallel with another track aimed at normalizing diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, under Chinese auspices, as two Iranian delegations are expected to visit Riyadh by the end of the week with the aim of launching the process of reopening the Islamic Republic’s representations in the Kingdom.
The Yemeni file constitutes the most important test for Iran regarding its keenness to move forward in normalizing relations that were severed with the Kingdom about seven years ago.
Observers say that the visit of the Saudi delegation to Sana’a, which is likely to last for a few days, indicates progress in the Omani-mediated consultations between Riyadh and Sana’a, in parallel with the peace efforts being made by the United Nations, which gained greater momentum after the sudden shift in the level of the relationship between Riyadh and Tehran. .
The Houthis’ spokeswoman, Saba Agency, said that the Saudi delegation would discuss with the President of the Supreme Political Council, Mahdi Al-Mashat, “lifting the siege with all its repercussions, stopping the aggression, and restoring all the rightful rights of the Yemeni people, including the payment of salaries of all state employees from oil and gas revenues.” a few days.
Saudi delegations have previously visited the capital, Sana’a, for talks about prisoner exchanges with the Houthis, who control the capital and vast areas in the north, center and west of the poorest country in the Arabian Peninsula.
However, this visit comes in the midst of regional and international efforts to push for a political solution that opens the door to Saudi Arabia’s exit from the war, and then ends the conflict between the Houthis and the government, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people.
An Omani delegation anticipated the visit of the Saudi delegation to Sana’a on Saturday to hold talks with the Houthis as part of the mediation that Muscat has been engaged in for months.
Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdel Salam said that his group’s demands “stop the aggression, lift the siege completely, pay the salaries of all employees from oil and gas revenue entitlements (…) and the exit of foreign forces from Yemen, compensation and reconstruction.”
According to Yemeni government sources, members of the Yemeni Presidency Council recently agreed to a Saudi vision regarding resolving the Yemeni crisis, after Saudi-Houthi talks under Omani sponsorship that lasted for two months in Muscat.
The Saudi perception, according to the sources, is based on agreeing to a truce for a period of six months in a first phase to build confidence, then a period of negotiation for three months on managing the transitional phase, which will last for two years, during which a final solution will be negotiated between all parties.
The Saudi perception is based on a truce for a period of six months in a first phase to build confidence, then a period of negotiation for three months on managing the transitional period.
The first stage includes confidence-building measures, the most important of which is paying the salaries of government employees in all regions, including the areas controlled by the Houthis, and opening closed roads and the airport.
The US special envoy to Yemen, Timothy Lenderking, urged the Iranians “to really show that they are bringing about a positive shift in the conflict, then there will be no longer arms smuggling to the Houthis in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.” Lenderking had visited Oman in recent weeks.
On Saturday, the US Navy announced the entry of a missile nuclear submarine capable of carrying up to 154 cruise missiles into the waters of the Red Sea near Yemen, in a new show of force.
In a positive indication of the possibility of progress in peace efforts, the head of the National Committee for Prisoners Affairs of the Houthis, Abdul Qadir al-Murtada, announced on Saturday that 13 prisoners had arrived at Sana’a International Airport in exchange for a Saudi prisoner who had been released earlier.
Al-Murtada said in a tweet on Twitter, “We received at Sanaa International Airport 13 prisoners and detainees who were released by the Saudi authorities in exchange for a Saudi prisoner whom we released earlier. We hope that this step will be a prelude to the implementation of the agreed deal at the end of this week.”
The Houthi leader added in a subsequent tweet, “The prisoners released today from Saudi prisons are part of the deal agreed upon by the United Nations. And next Thursday, God willing, we will complete the rest of the steps with the full implementation of the deal.”
Last month, the Houthis and the Yemeni government announced that, during negotiations in Berne, they had reached an agreement to exchange more than 880 prisoners. The recent developments have given the Yemeni public street hope to take steps to end the war.
“The visit of a Saudi delegation to Sanaa bodes well,” Ali Hussein, 23, a resident of Sanaa, told AFP. We want the war to end, we are tired.” Muhammad Dahmash, 35, confirmed, “We hope that the Saudi and Omani delegation’s visit to Sana’a will sign an agreement that will completely end the war, not a truce.”
For Mansour, 46, a teacher at a government school in the Houthi-controlled city of Hodeidah, in the west of the country, the end of the war is linked to the return of his salary, which he has not received for seven years.
“The war is not only rockets and missiles, but our deteriorating economic situation,” said Mansour, who declined to reveal his full name for fear of prosecution.
As for Iman Muhammad (31 years), she explained that her transportation from the city of Hodeidah to the city of Taiz to visit her family takes about 12 hours, after it was five hours before the war. “I hope that the Eid will come and the conditions will be relieved and return to normal,” she said
The original source of this article is alarab-co-uk
