Quick links
© 2020 amwaj.media - All Rights Reserved.
Your support keeps us independent
Subscriptions help us deliver original coverage of the region's most important issues.The story: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) reportedly wants Yemeni parties, including the Iran-backed Ansarullah movement—better known as the Houthis—to gather in Riyadh for “consultations.” The aim is to rally support for a UN-led peace initiative. Yemen’s President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi has reportedly agreed to the talks. However, Houthi politburo chief Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi has rejected a mediation role for Riyadh, requesting neutral ground as the seventh anniversary of the Saudi-led war is coming up.
The coverage: The London-based Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Mar. 16 that “the secretariat of the GCC will send invitations to all Yemeni parties within the next 24 hours.”
However, the Houthis have rejected the offer, stating that the GCC’s invitation “for dialogue is actually an invitation by Riyadh, and Riyadh is a party to the war—not a mediator.”
Prior to the reports of a possible Yemeni summit hosted by the GCC, the Jeddah-based Okaz daily reported that the European Union had labeled the Houthi movement as a terrorist organization and placed it on a “blacklist.”
The context/analysis: In the absence of peace talks, the war in Yemen between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition has escalated in recent months. This comes as the UN conference to alleviate the humanitarian crisis caused by the fighting fell short of the fundraising goal of 4.27B USD, only garnering 1.3B USD.
Some analysts contend that the GCC support for a UN-led peace process is a result of the reconciliation talks in Iraq between Iran and Saudi Arabia held over the past year. The latter negotiations have been temporarily suspended for months pending the formation of the next Iraqi government.
The future: It does not appear likely that intra-Yemeni consultations will take place in Riyadh.