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Saudi and Omani delegations have arrived in Yemen’s capital Sanaa for talks with Houthi officials as part of international efforts to find a settlement to Yemen’s nine-year conflict, Houthi-run media reported.
The visit indicates progress in the Oman-mediated consultations between Riyadh and Sanaa, which run parallel to United Nations peace efforts. Negotiations also gained momentum since archrivals Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to re-establish ties in a deal brokered by China.
The envoys, who landed late on Saturday, will meet with the head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, to hold talks on ending hostilities and lifting a Saudi-led “blockade” on Yemeni ports, Houthi news agency SABA reported.
Mohammed al-Bukaiti, a Houthi leader, said on Twitter that Saudi and Omani officials would discuss “ways to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace in the region.”
He said achieving an honourable peace between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia would be “a triumph for both parties”, and urged all sides to take steps to “preserve a peaceful atmosphere and prepare to turn the page of the past”.
Hans Grundberg, the UN envoy for Yemen, described the ongoing efforts, including the Saudi and Omani talks in Sanaa, as “the closest Yemen has been to real progress towards lasting peace” since the war began.
“This is a moment to be seized and built on and a real opportunity to start an inclusive political process under UN auspices to sustainably end the conflict,” he told The Associated Press news agency.
There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.
Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from the Qatari capital, Doha, said that the political landscape in Yemen is complex and that negotiations could be drawn out.
“The United Nations have been trying for some time to bring all parties together to negotiate a political settlement,” he said.
