SANAA (AFP)-A Saudi delegation was in the Yemeni capital to negotiate a possible new ceasefire with the Houthi rebels who control the Iran-backed city, diplomats said.
A Gulf-based Yemeni diplomat said Saudi officials were “in Sana’a to discuss progress in establishing peace in Yemen,” a second diplomat confirmed the information.
Saudi officials did not respond to requests for comment.
The arrival of the delegation raised hopes for progress towards ending the Yemeni conflict that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, after helping China broker a sudden rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Top Saudi and Iranian diplomats met in Beijing on Thursday and vowed to work together to bring “security and stability” to the turbulent region. Omani mediators arrived in Yemen’s capital Sana’a on Saturday.
The Houthis captured the city in his 2014, sparking a confrontation with the internationally recognized government that the Riyadh-led military coalition has supported for his eight years.
The ceasefire, announced about a year ago, has significantly reduced active hostilities in Yemen and, although it officially expired in October, is still widely respected.
A Yemeni government source, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, said on Saturday that the Saudis and Houthis agreed in principle to a six-month ceasefire, paving the way for three months of talks to set a two-year “transition”.
The deal is designed to achieve key Houthi goals, including paying salaries to civil servants in Houthi-controlled areas and lifting restrictions on the operation of Houthi-controlled airports and ports. increase. Also on Saturday, the head of the Houthi prisoners of war commission told rebel media that 13 prisoners released by the Saudis had arrived in Sana’a in exchange for one previously released Saudi.
Saudi officials have not commented on the report.
In early March, the United Nations confirmed that the rebels and the internationally recognized Yemeni government had agreed to exchange more than 880 of her prisoners.
“War fatigue”
Residents of Sana’a told AFP on Sunday they hoped for a breakthrough beyond Saudi Arabia’s secession, stressing the need for a political settlement between their country’s warring factions.
“The Saudi delegation’s visit to Sana’a is a good sign. We want the war to end. We are tired,” said 23-year-old Ali Hussein.
Mansour has refused to give his last name, but like other officials in Houthi-controlled areas, he has not received a salary for seven years.
“War means not only rockets and missiles, but also economic deterioration,” he said. With talks on Yemen appearing to be making progress, the United States recently announced that it had sent a nuclear-powered missile submarine to the Suez Canal.
USS Florida “can carry up to 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles and is deployed with the U.S. Fifth Fleet to ensure maritime security and stability in the region,” Commander Tim Hawkins said in a statement.
