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Reuters quoted three well-informed sources as saying that Saudi Arabia informed the Houthi group “Ansar Allah” in high-level talks that the kingdom was seeking to establish a buffer zone with Yemen in exchange for declaring a ceasefire.
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Agency sources said, according to a report released by “Reuters” on Tuesday, that Saudi Arabia had informed the Houthis during “high-level talks that it would sign a United Nations proposal for a nationwide ceasefire if the group aligned itself. with Iran he agreed to establish a buffer zone along the kingdom’s borders. “
The agency indicated that this agreement, if reached, would be the biggest advance in efforts to achieve a political settlement in Yemen since the conflict began in 2014.
But sources said the Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa, northern Yemen and its larger populated region, may be less willing to cooperate with Saudi Arabia if US President Donald Trump implements threats to designate them as a foreign terrorist organization before leaving office.
Two spokespersons told Reuters that the two sides, who held virtual talks, recently raised the level of representation in the talks to involve the Houthis’ chief negotiator, Muhammad Abdul Salam, and a senior Saudi official.
The sources claimed that Riyadh requested further security guarantees from the Houthis, including the establishment of a buffer zone along the border with northern Yemen, until a transitional government, supported by the United Nations, is formed.
Riyadh wants the Houthi forces to abandon a corridor along the border with Saudi Arabia to avoid incursions and artillery fire.
In return, the kingdom will ease an air and sea blockade as part of the United Nations ceasefire proposal, which already includes an end to cross-border attacks.
Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has led the Arab coalition, which has been conducting intensive military operations in Yemen in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government loyal to the president, Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who has been fighting Houthi forces since 2014. supported by Iran.
American Foreign Policy magazine on Monday cited diplomatic sources that the Trump administration, which, according to provisional results, lost the presidential election to its Democratic rival Joe Biden, plans to designate the group “Ansar Allah” as a terrorist organization, in a measure that would undermine peace efforts. It is mediated by the United Nations between the Houthis and the Yemeni government, to reinforce the anti-Iran strategy.
For his part, Biden pledged during his election campaign to stop arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the largest US arms buyer in the Middle East, to pressure Riyadh to end the conflict that has caused the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. world and is widely seen as an indirect war between arch-enemies Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Source: “Reuters” + agencies
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