Iran's empowerment and booby-trapping of Yemen.. Presidential camp warns of peace concessions
تاريخ النشر: 23rd, September 2023 GMT
Statements by the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, and Council member Aidaroos Al-Zubaidi revealed a position of rejection and warning against making additional concessions to the Iran-backed Houthi group under the banner of peace.
In a speech before the seventy-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, on Thursday, Al-Alimi warned against turning Yemen “into a hotbed for the export of terrorism and a fuse for a regional and international conflict that cannot be contained through diplomatic means” in the event that more concessions are made to the Houthi group, stressing that the legitimate government is no longer It has “more concessions to make.
Al-Alimi referred in his speech to the approach of the Houthi militias, and their treatment of peace offers as “mere test balloons... from a tactical perspective to control more resources, and to postpone the decision on military confrontation until better conditions are achieved, which is what happened in its disavowal of all previous agreements, the most recent of which Stockholm Agreement.
In a similar situation, Aidaroos Al-Zubaidi, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council and President of the Southern Transitional Council, warned, in an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, of the danger of reaching what he called a “bad agreement” with the Houthi group, considering that maintaining the “status quo for low-level violence” is better than that. Option.
Al-Zubaidi warned that reaching a bad agreement would effectively allow the Houthis, and behind them Iran, to control “the oil wells in the south and the Bab al-Mandab commercial road through which billions of dollars of oil flow,” stressing at the same time that no peace agreement could be imposed on the south.
Al-Zubaidi pointed to the most important issues currently negotiating with the Houthi group, which is the issue of paying salaries in areas under its control from oil revenues. He stressed that the current oil revenues are not enough to pay the salaries of the Yemeni government in the south, and he asked: “If they are not enough for us, how can the revenues be shared?” With the north?
The issue of disbursing salaries to employees in areas controlled by the Houthi group is the most important point of contention currently taking place in the negotiations and efforts that have been ongoing for months with the aim of reaching a renewal of the UN truce in Yemen with a permanent ceasefire agreement that paves the way for political negotiations between the group and the Presidential Leadership Council.
The Council and the forces within its framework, led by the Transitional Council, see the issue of disbursing these salaries from the revenues of oil and gas produced from the liberated areas as a major concession to the Houthi group and an acceptance of blackmailing it into imposing the sharing of these revenues after its success in stopping the export of oil about a year ago as a result of its attacks on export ports.
المصدر: نيوزيمن
كلمات دلالية: the Houthi group
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Riyadh Brings Together Yemen’s Legitimacy Factions: Impending Battle or Messages of Peace and Position Sorting?
In a notable development following a series of mixed political and military signals, the Saudi capital, Riyadh, hosted a meeting that brought together the presidency of Yemen’s Consultation and Reconciliation Commission, and the leaders of political factions and parties affiliated with it, along with the Saudi Ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Al Jaber.
“As part of the Kingdom’s continued support for comprehensive peace efforts, national reconciliation, and the stabilization of Yemen, I met today with the leadership of the Yemeni Consultation and Reconciliation Commission, as well as the heads of political factions and parties in the commission. I stressed the importance of supporting all efforts toward security, peace, stability, and development in Yemen.”
Yemeni political figure and Commission member Abdelmalik Al-Mekhlafi echoed this sentiment, tweeting:
“Today’s meeting in Riyadh between the leadership of the Consultation and Reconciliation Commission and political party leaders with Ambassador Mohammed bin Saeed Al Jaber once again demonstrates the Kingdom’s and its leadership’s commitment to achieving reconciliation in Yemen, along with peace, stability, and development. It also reflects the strategic brotherly partnership between the Kingdom and Yemen toward achieving these noble goals.”
These statements come at a charged regional moment, with reports circulating of possible preparations for a ground operation in Yemen, while indirect talks continue between Tehran and Washington. Notably, the recent visit by Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman to Tehran, during which he met with Iran’s Supreme Leader, was anything but routine.
Within this broader regional and international context, Saudi Arabia has made two significant diplomatic moves related to the Yemen file. The first occurred in Washington, D.C., this past February, where Prince Khalid met with his American counterpart and other senior U.S. officials. That meeting reportedly focused on security coordination and regional issues, including Yemen and the Houthis. The second, more recent meeting took place in Tehran in April.
It is worth noting that Ambassador Al Jaber was present at both meetings—an indication that the Yemen issue featured prominently in discussions, both in Washington and Tehran.
These developments raise important questions: Is the Kingdom working to unify the political positions of Yemeni factions ahead of a potential escalation? Or is it seeking to reaffirm its role as a peace sponsor before the Houthis and the international community, especially amid speculation about a ground operation—one which Riyadh has officially denied any involvement in?
A critical point to observe here is the duality of messaging emerging from Riyadh. While official diplomatic rhetoric, as reflected in the ambassador’s meetings and statements, emphasizes de-escalation and support for peace efforts, Saudi media continues to broadcast messages about imminent military resolution and preparations for a decisive battle.
This contrast may be the result of a deliberate distribution of roles or it might signal hesitation regarding the final course of action. Regardless, it keeps the overall situation shrouded in ambiguity—an ambiguity that warrants careful analysis.
Given these dynamics, the question remains: Are we witnessing the dawn of a new Saudi-backed peace phase in Yemen? Or is this a last attempt to clarify positions before the eruption of a new round of conflict?
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