Gulf bloc hosts Yemen peace talks amid Houthi absence

By Mohammed Alragawi

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is set to host talks between Yemen’s different parties in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Wednesday to discuss ways of restoring peace to the war-ravaged nation.

GCC Secretary-General Nayef al-Hajraf said the talks will bring together about 500 Yemeni individuals to discuss means of “resolving the crisis and opening humanitarian corridors and achieving stability.”

The discussions, which will continue until April 7, aim to “unify the internal front of the internationally- recognized government” and resume UN-backed political talks to end the conflict in Yemen, he added.

Shawki Alqadhi, a Yemeni lawmaker who is participating in the talks, said there is no specific agenda for the discussions.

“It mainly focuses on ways of enhancing the internationally-recognized government, and alleviating the suffering of Yemeni people,” he told Anadolu Agency.

“We hope that these talks will be a step towards unifying the supporters of the legitimate government,” he added.

“We hope that these consultations will be the beginning of ending the coup and the war,” Alqadhi added.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The 8-year conflict has created one of the world's worst man-made humanitarian crises, with nearly 80% of the country’s population in need of humanitarian assistance and protection and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

- Test

While the GCC-hosted talks were welcomed by the Yemeni government, Houthi rebels said they will not attend the discussions and called for the dialogue to be held in a “neutral country.”

A statement by the Houthi-run Foreign Ministry said the talks must be held in a “neutral country” that is not involved in the war in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia is leading a military coalition of Sunni countries in fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2015.

Alqadhi opines that the GCC-hosted talks will be a “test” to Houthi rebels to join efforts aimed at ending the conflict in Yemen.

“The Houthis will not sit for talks unless they are militarily defeated,” he said. “It is normal for the Houthis to bomb Saudi Arabia because this is what militias do.”

Last week, Houthi rebels launched a series of drone and missile attacks on vital energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, in a new escalation in the lingering conflict in Yemen.

The Yemeni lawmaker believes that there is “absolutely no hope” for Houthi rebels to participate in any peace talks as long as they have military power.

“Houthis may agree to join talks only when they free themselves from their religious ideology, cut their ties with Iran and are defeated militarily,” he said.

- Opportunity

Riyadh Aldubai, a Yemeni political activist, is downbeat about any positive results from the GCC-hosted Yemeni talks.

In 2011, the GCC sponsored negotiations between the Yemeni government and the opposition, which resulted in the signing of the Gulf Initiative in Riyadh. The Saudi capital also hosted similar talks between the Yemeni parties in 2015.

“Unfortunately, not much of those talks and agreements have been achieved,” Aldubai said. “But we hope that the mistakes of previous talks will be avoided this time, and more gains will be made.”

Aldubai noted that the new talks may set the fate of more than 30 million Yemenis, most of whom live below the poverty line, or “die on a daily basis either from hunger or bombings.”

He urged all participants to be aware that they have a “great opportunity” in hand to end the conflict in Yemen.

A political settlement, he said, is “the only solution to resolve the conflict.

“Yemenis have no dream other than enjoying safety and security in their country and providing their families with their daily needs,” he added.