Saudi Arabia's role in the Sana'a talks... a conflict that threatens peace efforts with collapse

English - Wednesday 12 April 2023 الساعة 09:16 pm
Aden, NewsYemen, exclusive:

 The difference in characterizing Saudi Arabia's role as a mediator or party to the conflict in the talks taking place in Sana'a with the participation of a delegation from the Sultanate of Oman threatens efforts to achieve peace in Yemen with collapse.

The Saudi ambassador, Muhammad Al Jaber, who heads the Kingdom's visiting delegation to Sana'a to meet the terrorist Houthi militia, an Iranian arm, described his country's efforts as a mediator and comes within the framework of the initiative it presented in 2021. He said, "I am visiting Sana'a and in the presence of a delegation from the brotherly Sultanate of Oman with the aim of stabilizing the armistice and stopping the firing, support for the prisoner exchange process, and discuss ways of dialogue between the Yemeni components to reach a comprehensive and sustainable political solution in Yemen.

These statements angered the Houthi militia, as the leader, Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, was quick to ridicule them, asserting indirectly that they are a party to the conflict and not a mediator, as they are trying to show themselves.

In the context of a television report, the militia-affiliated Al-Masirah channel launched a sharp attack on Al Jaber, describing him as a "criminal" and demanding that he "admit his guilt."

The channel downplayed the importance of the Saudi delegation's visit to Sana'a, stressing that matters did not go beyond the confidence-building stage.

The Yemeni journalist, Abd al-Rahman Anis, confirmed in his blogs that the talks taking place in Sana'a to endorse the comprehensive peace map are threatened with collapse due to the description of the role of "Saudi Arabia" in it.

He said that things get complicated in the Sana'a talks after the Houthi militia rejected the idea of Saudi mediation and its insistence on an agreement with Saudi Arabia as a party to the war, pointing out that if there is no political breakthrough in the Sana'a talks, the signing of a peace agreement may not happen on the 27th of Ramadan as planned.

Journalist Fares Al-Hamiri confirms the fact that the militias have complicated mediation efforts at the last moments.

Although he spoke openly that the conflict is about describing Saudi Arabia's role, he stressed that the Houthis' conditions complicate mediation efforts at the last moments.

 He said, "According to an informed source, the Saudi and Omani delegations are still in Sana'a and are conducting complex negotiations following new conditions for the Houthis, although the two delegations went to finalize the agreement, discuss protocol procedures, and determine the time and place of signing."

 In this regard, politician Saeed Bakran believes that there is difficulty in changing the definition of Saudi Arabia from a mediator to a party, and he said in a post on Twitter that this will require a radical change in the road map towards peace, which was developed on the basis that Saudi Arabia is a neutral mediator between the parties and components of the conflict and is not a party.

He added, "The components of legitimacy have accepted the principle of Saudi mediation, but the Houthis seem to have so far rejected the same principle, and for this reason it is logical that the entire design of the peace process is rejected.", pointing out that Saudi Arabia is based on the principle of mediation from previous Saudi models, such as the Taif Agreement, which ended the Lebanese civil war, the Gulf initiative agreement in Yemen between the former president and his party, the Islah Party and the Joint Meeting Parties, and the Mecca Agreement, in which Saudi Arabia brought together the conflicting Palestinian parties.

He pointed out that the Houthis reject the principle because in all of these models Saudi Arabia was not the leader of the military intervention in favor of a local party loyal to it, and because in all of these models Saudi Arabia was accepted as a sponsor of consensus between conflicting parties that did not see any harm in considering the kingdom appreciated or even an ally or a dominant force over  Its decision or, at the very least, the influence of its economic and political weight, explaining that the philosophy of the Houthi movement is based primarily on the struggle for rebellion against the dominant Saudi role in Yemen on all sides of political life for decades, considering that accepting that role is a derogation from Yemeni sovereignty and freedom  the sovereign decision of the country.

 Saudi circles also entered the line of conflict regarding the characterization of the Kingdom’s role, and the Saudi military expert, Ahmed Al-Fifi, considered the militia’s intransigence as a rejection of the peace efforts led by his country.