RIYADH – The Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Muhammad Al Jaber, was keen, during an interview he held Thursday with Agence France-Presse, to stress that his country is not a party to the Yemeni conflict and that it is working to bring the Yemeni parties together at one table to negotiate and resolve all issues.

Despite showing a degree of optimism about the possibility of achieving a breakthrough in the explosive crisis since 2014, by asserting that “everyone”, including the Houthis, “is serious about reaching peace,” Al Jaber pointed out that matters are more complex and that it is “difficult to clearly identify the next steps.”

Observers believe that the Saudi ambassador wanted to send a number of messages, the most important of which is that his country is seeking to put a distance from the conflicting forces in Yemen and that it is no longer concerned with any military operations, but the question remains how it can achieve this while the Houthis insist that it is the main party in the crisis.

Observers point out that the Saudi ambassador’s statements pave the way for a gradual withdrawal of the Kingdom, regardless of whether or not there is an agreement between the local parties, and this matter will mean that Yemen is on the verge of a new phase entitled the return of fighting between local forces, but without external support this time.

The Saudi ambassador said that the parties to the war in Yemen are “serious” about ending the devastating war, but it is impossible to predict when direct talks will take place.

And Al Jaber added, “Everyone is serious. Serious in the sense that everyone is looking for peace.” But he added, “It is not easy to clearly identify the next steps.”

The Kingdom has led a military intervention coalition in Yemen to support the legitimate government since 2015. The war began in Yemen in 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthis took control of large areas of the country, including the capital, Sanaa, where negotiations finally took place between the Saudis and the Houthis.

Al Jaber traveled to Sana’a at the end of last April in the context of seeking to “stabilize” the armistice, which officially ended in October, and in the midst of a rapprochement that began some time ago between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and experts say that it may reflect positively on the situation in Yemen.

However, the negotiations between the Saudis and the Houthis did not lead to an agreement, nor has a date been announced yet for a new round of negotiations between them, although the two parties confirmed before the end of Ramadan that it would be held after Eid al-Fitr.

“Nothing is clear, but I am optimistic and we hope, God willing, that the Yemenis will find a way out as soon as possible,” Al Jaber said.

The Saudi diplomat noted that Riyadh sees itself as more of a mediator trying to facilitate an agreement between the rebels and the internationally recognized government.

The Saudi-led coalition carried out air strikes over the years on Houthi areas, which the rebels met with bombing of the Saudi depth and oil facilities through ballistic missiles and drones.

Experts say that Saudi Arabia is striving to get out of the Yemeni quagmire, which it was forced to enter in an attempt to defeat the pro-Iranian rebels, but the prolonged war and its material and security costs have become a major source of concern for it, and it is the one that is eager to implement promising economic projects within the framework of Vision 2030.

Experts point out that this Saudi desire to end its interference certainly raises the concern of the legitimate authority and the forces supporting it at home, especially since the Houthis are not willing to proceed with them on a path that ends the war.

Mahmoud Al-Taher, a Yemeni researcher and political analyst, said, “It seems that we are facing a long-term war, and we are on the verge of a local war more than ever, in which the Arab coalition is not a party, and the Saudi ambassador’s speech is an official announcement that the military operations of the Arab coalition have stopped.”

Al-Taher added in statements to The Arab Weekly that “although everyone is looking for peace, the Houthis themselves refuse to sit down with the Yemenis at the dialogue table to talk about the future of Yemen. This indicates that they are not serious about a real, just and comprehensive peace, and they want surrender, not surrender.” Peace, may they be the victors in this war, and impose the Iranian agenda in the region.

The Yemeni analyst stressed, “I am not optimistic about the peace that everyone is talking about, but I am optimistic that the peace that is now being said that there is a desire for it may lead to a bigger deal in terms of the exchange of prisoners and detainees, but everyone will be shocked after this by Houthi intransigence and all efforts to bring peace will fail, because Al-Houthi does not want that, and his history is known for that.”

“Given Saudi Arabia’s relationship with all Yemenis, including the Houthis, we used our influence to persuade all Yemenis to sit at the table and discuss all issues,” Al Jaber said during the interview on board the flight back to Saudi Arabia from Aden.

During his visit to Yemen, Al Jaber inaugurated rehabilitation and modernization works, with Saudi funding, for the main hospital and airport in Aden.

“In the end, it is about the Yemenis,” the ambassador said, noting that the two sides “refuse to sit down together” for the time being.

Osama Al-Sharmi, Undersecretary of the Yemeni Ministry of Information, expressed the Yemeni government’s understanding of the statements made by the Saudi ambassador, which, according to his expression, came within the framework of the diplomatic discourse, nothing more.

Al-Sarmi said in a statement to The Arab Weekly, “But the truth is that the Houthi militia is not inclined to peace and has never been convinced of it, and its rejection of Saudi-Omani mediation in the month of Ramadan proves this,” pointing to “the group’s continued military build-up and maneuvers on its borders.” The south, as well as the threat by its official officials to target Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles of the Burkan type.

In another interview conducted by Agence France-Presse at the presidential palace in Aden, Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, said, “The Saudi role is a mediating role between the legitimate government and the putschists