Omani delegation pressures Houthis to accept UN’s peace plan
Omani Sultan’s office delegation has arrived in Sana’a, accompanied by the group’s spokesman, Muhammad Abdul Salam Falita. According to Yemeni sources, Muscat’s final attempt is to persuade militia leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi to accept the UN plan.
A ceasefire and humanitarian measures had been proposed to start peace consultations between the group and the legitimate government.
Yemen’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, has begun a visit to Muscat, which is likely to be part of legitimate efforts to put regional pressure on Houthis to accept the UN and international peace options.
According to a US State Department statement, Houthis “have a tremendous responsibility for refusing to engage meaningfully in the ceasefire and for taking efforts to end the almost seven-year conflict that has inflicted enormous misery on the Yemeni people.”
The US State Department stated that Houthis are continuing their catastrophic attack on Marib, which has been condemned by the world community, further isolating the Houthis.
Griffiths hinted that Al-Houthi still rejected his plan for a ceasefire and adhered to lifting restrictions on the outlets controlled by his militias, such as Sanaa airport and the port of Hodeidah.
In his most recent sermon, the group’s head expressed contempt for the UN proposal as well as international efforts, particularly those undertaken by the United States, and urged his followers to mobilise more warriors and collect more cash to continue the struggle.
Muscat has facilitated many deals for the group’s leaders in the past and presented itself as a neutral mediator in the region, hosting the group’s negotiating delegation and receiving dozens of the group’s wounded for treatment. Yemeni politicians believe that Omani efforts will be the last resort.
