Saudi, Omani envoys hold peace talks with Houthi leaders
Saudi and Omani delegations held talks with Houthi officials in Yemen’s capital Sana’a on Sunday, Houthi-run media said, 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 Sana’a, which run in parallel to U.N. peace efforts. The peace initiatives have gained momentum after Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to re-establish ties in a deal brokered by China, Reuters reported.
Oman, which shares borders with Yemen, has been trying for years to bridge differences between Yemen’s warring parties.
The envoys, who landed late on Saturday, met with the head of Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, in Sanaa’s presidential palace, Houthi news agency SABA reported.
President Al-Mashat reiterated the group’s position that it seeks an “honourable peace” and that the Yemeni people aspire to “freedom and independence”, SABA said.
Both sides will negotiate ending hostilities and the lifting of a Saudi-led blockade on Yemeni ports, it added.
Sources have told Reuters that the Saudi-Houthi talks are focused on a full reopening of Houthi-controlled ports and the Sana’a airport, payment of wages for public servants, rebuilding efforts and a timeline for foreign forces to exit the country.
in Sana’a