Yemeni government calls for international guarantees before negotiations with Houthis

The Yemeni government has demanded guarantees from the UN that the Houthis will abide by Security Council Resolution 2216 before it starts negotiations with the militia’s representatives and ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Yemeni Minister of Human Rights Ezzeldin Al-Asbahi told Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed that his government has not retreated from its commitment to participate in the Muscat negotiations, but rather has reiterated its rejection to meet with the other side in the absence of guarantees that the Houthis would implement UN resolution on Yemen without conditions.

Al-Asbahi, who is taking part in a conference in Doha against hate and extremism, has stressed that the “Yemeni government wants to stop the war and achieve peace, but based on the implementation of the UN resolution.”

“There will be no negotiations unless the Houthi militia and Abdullah Saleh announce their commitment to the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2216,” he added.

The Yemeni government, according to Al-Asbahi, calls for “finding mechanisms for implementing the UN resolution.” The resolution seeks to put an end to the war through enforcing conditions for the surrender of heavy arms, the release of detainees, Houthi withdrawal from Yemeni provinces and the restoration of normal life.

Al-Asbahi expressed his government’s support for efforts made by UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh, who is seeking the implementation of the UN resolution. The Yemeni official called on the international envoy to “provide real and declared guarantees on compliance with the resolution” before moving on to the implementation mechanisms and sitting at the negotiating table.

According to a Yemeni official, “the legitimate Yemeni government is capable of filling in the security vacuum in all the provinces that Houthis and Saleh will leave.” He called on the Houthis to “withdraw back to their areas and return from where they came, and stop raiding Yemeni cities.”

The Human Rights minister also praised the fact-finding mission sent by the Arab League to Yemen to monitor violations that Yemenis are subjected to.

He said that he sees the cabinet reshuffle, which was conducted by Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, “in the context of reforming the government’s work.” He denied rumours of protests against Aden’s governor Nayef Al-Bakri, who was appointed as the Minister of Youth in the government reshuffle.