Riyadh Sees Progress Towards Ending Its War on Yemen; Talks Restricted to Armistice, Humanitarian Issues

By Staff, Agencies

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that progress was being made towards ending the Yemen war, in which Riyadh leads a military coalition, but more work was needed, including reinstating a truce and transitioning to a permanent ceasefire.

Speaking on a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said the eight-year conflict would only be resolved through a political settlement.

Al Saud said the kingdom was also trying to find a path to dialogue with Iran as the best way to resolve differences over several conflicts, including the one in Yemen.

Later in the day, Beirut-based al-Mayadeen Network cited informed Yemeni sources as saying that many proposals were put on the table, but they require further discussions.

The sources revealed that there is no final agreement in terms of extending and expanding the armistice, stressing, however, that negotiations are still ongoing.

The informed sources said, "There is progress in the talks and messages exchanged through the Omani mediator, and if an agreement is reached, its results will be officially announced."

The sources also pointed out that "many proposals were put on the table, but they are yet to be discussed and attended to. We should wait to ensure their completion and agreement over them."

The further added that "the proposals put forward for discussion are all related to humanitarian considerations and the renewal of the armistice," noting that "channels of communication and negotiations with Saudi Arabia still stand and have been ongoing for some time now."

The Yemeni sources indicated that "the understandings with Saudi Arabia are limited to renewing the armistice and expanding the humanitarian issues to be considered."

In the same context, the UN envoy's office expressed via Twitter an appreciation for "Saudi Arabia's role in supporting the current efforts aimed at de-escalation and working toward a comprehensive Yemeni-Yemeni political settlement under the auspices of the United Nations."

It is noteworthy that Sanaa announced last October that negotiations to extend the UN armistice in Yemen had reached a dead end after Saudi Arabia refused to pay the salaries of public servants from the revenues of oil and gas produced from the Yemeni governorates, in addition to ending the war acts and lifting the blockade on the country.