CAIRO (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia welcomed progress in negotiations aimed at establishing a road map to support the peace process in Yemen, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
Envoys from the Houthi rebels left Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after five days of negotiations aimed at reaching a permanent ceasefire with Riyadh in Yemen’s war, sources familiar with the discussions and Houthi media said.
Saudi Arabia has reaffirmed its desire to promote dialogue between the parties involved in the conflict in Yemen, the Saudi Defense Minister said on Wednesday after a meeting with the Houthi delegation.
“I underlined the kingdom’s support for Yemen and reaffirmed our commitment to promoting dialogue between all parties to achieve a political solution under UN supervision,” Prince Khalid bin Salman said in a message published on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Two sources said progress had been made on key sticking points, adding that the parties would meet “soon” for further discussions following consultations.
Envoys from the Houthi rebels visited Saudi Arabia last week to discuss the reopening of Sanaa’s ports and airport under their control, the payment of salaries to civil servants, reconstruction and a withdrawal timetable. foreign forces in the country.
Saudi Arabia has been intervening in the war in Yemen since 2015 at the head of a coalition of Gulf countries. The conflict has left hundreds of thousands dead. Four-fifths of the Yemeni population is today dependent on humanitarian aid.
The recent rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran has, however, contributed to the relaunch of peace initiatives. Washington has also been putting pressure on Riyadh for months to end the war.
(Reporting Enas Alashray; French version Camille Raynaud)
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