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Sanaa, Yemen – UN peace talks on Yemen stalled pending the arrival of Shiite rebels who said they were not present because they could not guarantee their safe return after the discussions.
The talks, supposedly the first between two belligerents in Yemen in two years, were scheduled for Thursday in Geneva. A Yemeni government delegation, internationally recognized and led by Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani, has arrived, but the rebels, known as the Houthis, have not.
The Houthis insist on going to Geneva on a flight from Oman, saying it would allow them to return safely to Yemen.
"We want guarantees when we return to Yemen," a senior Houthi official, Deif Allah al-Shami, said on Friday.
On Thursday, a senior rebel leader, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, said on Twitter that the Saudi-led coalition backing the internationally recognized Yemeni government had refused to allow the Omani flight to transfer its delegation. in Geneva. He added that this refusal risks preventing a return to Yemen, as happened in 2016 after a series of failed negotiations.
The coalition, which has imposed a land, sea and air blockade in Yemen since 2016, has denied the allegation.
The official SABA news agency on Friday issued a statement by the Yemeni government accusing the Houthis of obstructing the talks and saying their non-participation shows their intent to thwart any move by the UN envoy to bring peace. and alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people. "
US Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths held consultations with the Yemen government delegation on "confidence-building measures, including the issue of prisoners, humanitarian access, the reopening of Sana'a airport and the economic problems, "said Friday the American spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci.
"The special envoy for Yemen also met with diplomats and is still working to bring the Ansar Allah (Houthis) delegation to Geneva," she said.
Yemen is involved in a war waged by the Saudi-led coalition against the Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi government since March 2015. The Saudi-led air strikes have hit schools, hospitals, and local authorities. marriages and killed thousands of Yemeni civilians. The Houthis fired long-range missiles into Saudi Arabia and targeted vessels in the Red Sea.
About 10,000 people were killed in the conflict in Yemen, spawning what the Americans call the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
