World News | Saudi diplomat: Talks with Houthi rebels aim to restore Yemen truce

CAIRO, April 11 (AP) – Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen said Monday his trip to the Houthi-held capital Sanaa is aimed at restoring a ceasefire and restarting political talks to end the nine-year conflict.

Mohammad bin Saeed al-Jaber met Houthi officials in Sanaa on Sunday, and Omani officials also attended the talks. The trip comes as talks between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels progressed after the kingdom reached an agreement with Iran last month to restore diplomatic ties. Iran is the main foreign backer of the Houthis in the conflict in Yemen.

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Jaber tweeted that the purpose of his trip was to “stabilize the truce and ceasefire, support the prisoner exchange process, and explore venues for dialogue between Yemen’s various parts to reach a sustainable, comprehensive political solution in Yemen.”

His comments came on a first visit to Saudi Arabia.

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Yemen’s conflict began in 2014 when Iran-backed Houthi rebels overran Sana’a and much of northern Yemen, overthrowing the internationally recognized government that fled south and then into exile in Saudi Arabia.

The Houthi move prompted the Saudi-led coalition to intervene months later to restore power to the internationally recognized government. In recent years, the conflict has turned into a regional proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The Saudi diplomat met Mahdi Mashat, head of the Houthis’ top political council, which runs rebel-held areas in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia and the Houthis reached a draft agreement last month to restore a ceasefire that expired in October, Yemeni and Saudi officials said. The Oman-brokered deal is aimed at kickstarting the return of political talks, the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks, said.

United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric hailed the talks on Monday as a “welcome step” that could help resolve the conflict and ease tensions in the region.

“What we’ve seen is disparate factions, different political parties that have had tension with each other have been speaking,” he said.

Dujarric said the UN was not involved in the Sanaa talks, but “we very much hope that it can contribute to a comprehensive peace effort led by (UN Special Envoy for Yemen) Hans Grunberg to restore the Yemeni truce and restart Yemeni internal politics.” process.”

Yemen’s internationally recognized government welcomed Saudi Arabia’s efforts to bring Yemeni parties to the negotiating table for a “comprehensive political agreement,” according to a statement released late Sunday.

Al-Jaber’s trip to Sanaa comes days before the implementation of the prisoner swap deal, which is expected to take place later this week. The deal, brokered by the United Nations last month, involved the release of nearly 900 prisoners of war on both sides, including Saudi troops.

Before his trip, the Houthis said Saudi Arabia released 13 Houthi prisoners on Saturday in exchange for a Saudi prisoner the Houthis released earlier this year. (Associated Press)

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