Arab coalition is 'exercising restraint' to make Yemen peace talks a success

The Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen said yesterday that it is exercising “restraint” to make the intra-Yemen peace talks hosted by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) a success.

In a statement the coalition said: “We will exercise restraint to make the Yemeni dialogue under Gulf auspices a success and we reserve the right to respond.”

“We support the Gulf and international position aimed at making the Yemeni consultations a success, and the Houthis are trying to thwart it. The Houthis should not repeat their mistakes in interpreting the coalition’s efforts to end the crisis,” it added.

Earlier yesterday, the coalition announced that a small fire had occurred following a “hostile attack” that targeted an oil station belonging to the Saudi Aramco oil company in the city of Jeddah, west of the kingdom.

The announcement came hours after the Saudi Ministry of Energy announced that its oil facilities in the south had been attacked by drones, which it said aimed to “destabilise the security of energy supplies, and the global economy as a whole.”

READ: Yemen’s Houthis say they welcome talks in ‘neutral’ country

On Thursday, GCC Secretary-General Nayef Al-Hajraf announced that he would host consultations for the Yemeni parties on 29 March.

Al-Hajraf explained that the consultations will take place at the GCC’s headquarters in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with the aim of concluding a ceasefire in Yemen.

The initiative was welcomed by Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the United Nations while the Houthis expressed “reservations”, demanding that the consultations take place in a neutral country. Observers interpreted the Houthis’ reservations as an indication that they will not attend.

For nearly 7 years, Yemen has witnessed a continuous war between pro-government forces and the Iranian-backed Houthis, who have controlled several governorates, including the capital, Sanaa, since September 2014.