Yemeni president says Houthi withdrawal from cities is a priority

Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi said on Monday that any talks that do not lead to the withdrawal of the Houthi militias from cities across the country do not mean anything. Such a withdrawal is a priority in this sense.

Speaking during an extraordinary meeting with his advisers in Riyadh on the need to clear all Yemeni cities of Houthi rebels, Hadi pointed out that they had only brought tragedies to the Yemeni people. “They’ve destroyed the infrastructure and killed women and children and displaced thousands of families as a result of the indiscriminate bombing of innocent civilians’ homes,” he alleged. “The government always stands with all steps aimed to achieve the Yemenis’ aspirations for peace, security and stability in the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (2216) and other relevant resolutions.”

A local political source told Turkey’s Anadolu news agency on Friday that the UN envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, has invited a delegation of Houthi rebels and the General People’s Congress to meet in the Omani capital Muscat to discuss a political solution to the crisis in Yemen. The anonymous source said that the UN envoy holds a 7-point initiative which he has recently presented to the Arab League Secretary General, Nabil Al-Arabi. This was welcomed by leaders in the party of ousted President Ali Saleh.

The initiative provides for the implementation of an immediate cease-fire and the withdrawal of warring forces from cities they control, said the source. “In addition, it will facilitate the work of humanitarian agencies as well as comply with the UN inspection and monitoring mechanisms.”