Yemen’s Houthi rebels will head to Saudi Arabia amid efforts to negotiate a permanent ceasefire to end the long-running war in Yemen, according to the Saudi state news agency, a Houthi official and reports quoting diplomatic and government sources.
The visit, expected on Thursday night, raises hopes of a breakthrough in the quagmire conflict that has left hundreds of thousands dead through direct and indirect causes such as famine.
Saudi Arabia’s state news agency confirmed the visit on Thursday night, and said that the Houthis had been invited to Riyadh for ceasefire talks.
Ali al-Qhoom, a member of the Houthi political council, had earlier said the rebels’ delegation would fly to Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, on an Omani plane. A delegation from Oman, which has played the role of mediator, arrived in Yemen’s Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, on Thursday, according to Yemeni government officials.
“Optimism exists regarding the mediation and the Omani efforts to achieve peace in Yemen,” he posted on social media.
Al-Qhoom said talks will be focused on a full reopening of Houthi-controlled ports and Sanaa airport, payment of wages for public servants from oil revenues, rebuilding efforts, and a timeline for foreign forces to quit Yemen, among others. Sources speaking to the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity also said the same. The topics are long-standing Houthi demands.
The visit comes five months after Saudi officials held talks in Sanaa and as a UN-brokered ceasefire continues to largely hold despite officially lapsing in October.
“There are preparations for a Houthi delegation to visit Riyadh within the next 72 hours,” a Yemeni government official familiar with the situation told the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity.
A Western diplomat in Yemen confirmed the visit, saying it may take place within the next two days. There was no immediate comment by Saudi officials.
Yemen was plunged into war when the Houthis seized control of Sanaa, in September 2014, prompting a military intervention led by Saudi Arabia the following March in an attempt to restore the country’s recognised government.
Source : Al Jazeera
