Saudi war chief, Yemeni resistance hold 'critical' meeting

The official Yemeni delegation returned to Sanaa on Monday after several days of direct talks with Saudi officials

(Photo credit: Twitter)

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Khaled bin Salman Al-Saud held a meeting with a delegation from the Ansarallah-led government in Sanaa, expressing hope that Omani-mediated peace talks between the kingdom and the Yemeni resistance will lead to “political stability, and lasting security.” 

“I met the Sanaa delegation visiting Riyadh to continue efforts supporting the peace process in Yemen. I emphasized the Kingdom's support for Yemen and reaffirmed our commitment to promoting dialogue among all parties to reach a comprehensive political solution under UN supervision,” the defense minister said on social media.

“We look forward to the success of these critical discussions, hoping that Yemeni parties will unite to achieve sustainable development, political stability, and lasting security, enabling Yemen to integrate into the progress and development witnessed within the GCC,” he added.

Early last month, it was announced that Omani-mediated peace talks were in motion once again after being suspended due to what the Ansarallah resistance movement referred to as US interference. At the time, the group accused Washington of trying to obstruct the payment of the salaries of public servants in Yemen, one of the Sanaa government’s leading demands for peace.

On 14 September, an Ansarallah official announced the departure of its delegation to Saudi Arabia in order to resume Omani-mediated talks.

Two days later, Sanaa’s chief negotiator, Muhammad Abdul Salam, expressed optimism about the negotiations while in the kingdom. 

Earlier this week, Arabic media outlets reported that Saudi Arabia’s allies in the coalition, and those loyal to it on the ground, were uninvolved in the negotiations. 

The reports claimed that the kingdom is ignoring the aspirations of the UAE-backed, secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) and keeping them, as well as the Saudi-appointed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), out of the loop. 

Despite this, the Saudi defense minister expressed “keenness to encourage the Yemeni parties to sit at the dialogue table.” 

They added that Saudi Arabia is also looking to ignore US pressure on the negotiations, which are reportedly at their final stage and have advanced in regard to the most crucial humanitarian demands, including the full lifting of the blockade and the payment of all public servant salaries. 

One day after these reports were released, the UAE Foreign Ministry released a statement expressing support for the Riyadh talks. 

The same day, on 19 September, sources told Financial Times (FT) that Washington’s Special Envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, is looking as soon as possible to hold a three-way meeting with Saudi and Emirati officials in order to resolve their differences over Yemen. 

These differences include Saudi Arabia’s desire to swiftly end the war and the UAE desire to maintain its occupation in Yemen. 

Many have suggested that Washington also aims to maintain its illegal military presence in Yemen. 

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