SAUDI and Omani delegations held talks with Houthi officials in Yemen’s capital Sanaa yesterday, as Riyadh seeks a permanent ceasefire to end its military involvement in the country’s long-running war.
The visit indicates progress in the Oman-mediated consultations between Riyadh and Sanaa, which run in parallel to UN peace efforts. The peace initiatives have gained momentum after arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to re-establish ties in a deal brokered by China.
Oman, which shares borders with Yemen, has been trying for years to bridge differences between Yemen’s warring parties, and more broadly between Iran and Saudi Arabia and the US.
The envoys met the head of Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi Al Mashat, in Sanaa’s presidential palace.
President Al Mashat reiterated the group’s position that it seeks an “honourable peace” and that the Yemeni people aspire to “freedom and independence”.
Sources have said that the Saudi-Houthi talks are focused on a full reopening of Houthi-controlled ports and the Sanaa airport, payment of wages for public servants, rebuilding efforts and a timeline for foreign forces to exit the country.
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