Yemen’s Houthis ready for peace talks hosted by Qatar

A member of the Supreme Political Council in the Houthi-led National Salvation Government has said the group is ready to take part in negotiations held by Qatar to help put an end to the six-year war against Yemen.

According to a tweet on Tuesday, Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi said: “If the aggressor countries responded positively to the message of Sultan of [Oman], I believe that there is no obstacle in our view to [holding] a meeting and completing the dialogue in Qatar.”

اذا ردت دول العدوان بردود ايجابية
على رد قائد الثورة على رسالة السلطان المعظم

فلا اعتقد ان هناك ما يمنع من الجلوس لاستكمال الحوار في دولة قطر لدينا
اذا احبت قيادة دول العدوان ذلك

— محمد علي الحوثي (@Moh_Alhouthi) June 15, 2021

In a previous tweet he stated: “We appreciate Oman’s peace efforts. The success of these efforts depends on the agreement of the aggressor countries [Saudi coalition] and their seriousness in reaching a viable agreement and compensating the nation for its losses.”

READ: Saudis call for the return of Yemen gov’t to Aden

Oman has a neutral stance in the region and maintains ties with Saudi Arabia, Iran and the Houthi movement, known formally as Ansarallah. The sultanate has been taking a more prominent role as a mediator in UN-backed peace talks in recent months, around the time Saudi Arabia announced its own peace deal initiative, although this was dismissed by Ansarallah who were sceptical as to their seriousness.

Last week an Omani delegation visited Yemen’s capital Sanaa and met with the leader of the Ansarallah movement, Sayyid Abdulmalik Al-Houthi.

In February it was reported that Doha had been using its diplomatic clout since the inauguration of US President Joe Biden to present itself as a “neutral mediator”, having previously facilitated back-channel talks between the Yemeni state and the Houthis between 2007 and 2010.

READ: Outgoing UN Yemen envoy hopes Oman peace efforts ‘bear fruit’