Beijing, 10 Apr (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi armed forces said that representatives of Saudi Arabia and Oman met with high-level Houthi armed forces in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, on 9 April to hold dialogues to realize a ceasefire.
Negotiate an end to hostilities
According to the Houthis-controlled Saba News Agency, the Saudi delegation, led by Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed bin Said Al-Jaber, met with senior Houthi armed officials Mehdi Al Masaud to consult on issues such as ending hostilities and lifting port blockades. Oman, which has long brokered Yemeni peace talks, also sent representatives to participate in the talks.
This is a child photographed on December 7, 2022, in a refugee camp on the northern outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed)
Reuters quoted unnamed sources as saying that the talks focused on the complete reopening of the Houthis-controlled port and Sana'a airport, the payment of salaries to civil servants in the Houthis-controlled area, and post-war reconstruction.
Another senior Houthi official, Mohammed Bouhayti, said on social media that Saudi and Oman representatives would discuss with the Houthis "ways to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace in the region."
Achieving peace "is a victory for both sides of the conflict," Mr. Bhutti said, urging all sides to take steps to "preserve a climate of peace" and "turn the page" on past conflicts.
The Saudi side has not publicly responded to the matter.
Security personnel gather at the site of a car bomb attack in Aden, Yemen, on June 29, 2022. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Murad Abdo)
In September 2014, the Houthis seized Sana'a and later occupied southern Yemen. In March 2015, Saudi Arabia led the establishment of a multinational coalition to launch military operations against the Houthis. In December 2018, the Yemeni government and the Houthis, mediated by the United Nations, reached an agreement on a ceasefire and prisoner exchange, but soon accused each other of breaking the ceasefire.
The parties to the conflict in Yemen had previously agreed to a two-month ceasefire beginning April 2 last year. This ceasefire agreement was subsequently extended twice, until 2 October last year. Thereafter, the parties to the conflict failed to reach agreement on extending the ceasefire.
A number of foreign media commented that with the recent positive progress in regional diplomacy such as the restoration of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, negotiations related to the ceasefire in Yemen have also shown positive momentum.
The Houthis said on the 8th that Saudi Arabia released 13 Houthi armed personnel in custody on the same day, in exchange for the release of a Saudi person by the Houthis. The two sides will also embark on a larger prisoner exchange this week to implement an agreement reached in Switzerland in March.
People fetch water at a charity water station in Yemen's Hajah governorate on March 21, 2022. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Mohammed Wafi)
Opportunities for political reconciliation
Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special envoy for Yemen, commented in an interview with The Associated Press that current efforts, including Saudi and Oman representatives to Sana'a peace talks, have brought Yemen "the closest to substantial progress towards lasting peace" in nine years of turmoil.
"This is an opportunity to start an inclusive UN-supported political process that will end the conflict in a sustainable way," Grundberg said. ”
In March, representatives of both sides to the conflict in Yemen held a new round of negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, under the joint auspices of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, agreeing to the release of a total of nearly 900 detainees.
According to the Associated Press, citing a number of Saudi and Yemeni officials who did not want to be named, in addition to the issue of prisoner exchange, Saudi Arabia and the Houthis also reached a draft agreement last month on the extension of the ceasefire and other topics, including: the implementation of a six-month ceasefire and the cessation of all military activities throughout Yemen; The Houthis commit to consult with others in Yemen on political reconciliation; Saudi Arabia agreed to further ease its blockade of Sana'a airport and the Houthis-controlled Red Sea port of Hodeida, while the Houthis will no longer blockade Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, controlled by government forces.
Farmers in Yemen's Amran governorate work in their fields on July 29, 2022. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed)
According to a Yemeni official, the Yemeni Presidential Council, which is currently responsible for negotiating peace with the Houthis on behalf of the Yemeni government, met with Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, on the 6th, to hear the latter introduce the progress of the above-mentioned consultations between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi armed forces, and tentatively agreed to the content of the draft agreement.
After the Houthis captured Sana'a, Yemeni President Abdulrab Mansour Hadi went into exile. He announced his resignation last April, handing over power to the newly formed presidential commission to negotiate peace with Yemen's Houthis.
In an exclusive interview broadcast by an Egyptian TV station on the 7th, Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak said that the news that a ceasefire agreement is expected to be reached and Yemen's humanitarian and economic problems are expected to be solved is a "positive signal." But he also noted that "many fundamental issues" still need to be addressed for the parties to the conflict in Yemen to truly reconcile.
Years of war have killed tens of thousands of people in Yemen and plunged the country into a serious humanitarian crisis. According to Reuters, about eighty percent of Yemen's people depend on humanitarian aid for their livelihoods. (Gao Jie)