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The Huthis refused to take off from the rebel-held capital unless the UN fulfills a list of conditions
The Huthis have refused to take off from the rebel-held capital unless the UN fulfills a list of conditions PHOTO: REUTERS / FILE
SANAA: Huthi rebels in Yemen, expected at UN-backed peace talks in Geneva with the government, remained in Sanaa on Friday fearing they would not be allowed to return home if they left.
The Huthis, powerful armed tribes at war with the Saudi-backed Saudi government, have refused to take off from the rebel-held capital unless the UN fulfills a list of conditions. .
The Geneva talks, the first since 2016, were officially scheduled to open Thursday, but were suspended, although UN envoy Martin Griffiths held several meetings in the Swiss city with the governmental delegation.
The Huthi Revolutionary Supreme Council said on Friday that they were "increasingly suspicious that the coalition intends to insult" the rebels.
Yemen peace talks are in balance as parties negotiate ultimatums
He accused the Saudi-led alliance of fighting against them on behalf of the government for planning to block the rebel delegation in Djibouti, where their plane was scheduled to make a stopover en route to Geneva.
The Huthis have hinted that they feared a repeat of 2016, when 108 days of negotiations in Kuwait were broken and a rebel delegation found stranded in Oman for three months due to 39, an air blockade, said the council in a statement.
The Saudi-led military coalition, which controls the country's airspace and Sana'a International Airport, has been largely decommissioned for years.
Huthis, backed by Iran, exchanged accusations of non-cooperation and blockage with the Yemeni government.
The Huthis also demand the evacuation of their wounded fighters from Sanaa to Oman.
But on Friday in Geneva, Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled Yamani insisted that Huthi's delay was evidence of infighting.
"We came to Geneva … ready to start talks" on building confidence, Yamani told the Sky News news agency.
He criticized the Huthi's "apologies" for failing to arrive in time as "an attempt to conceal something critical, namely, that the insurgents are arguing over who among them will represent them in Geneva."
Saudi Arabia and its allies, meanwhile, said they had already granted Huthis permission to fly, accusing the rebels of intransigence.
Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher has accused the rebels of "speaking no language other than force" and "resorting to negotiations to obtain more weapons," in a tweet on Thursday.
No face-to-face meetings in Yemen peace talks: official
The Griffiths office said Friday that he "was still working on getting the Ansarullah (rebel) delegation to Geneva".
Meanwhile, the envoy has held consultations with the government delegation since Thursday.
"He discussed with them confidence-building measures, including the issue of prisoners, humanitarian access, the reopening of Sana'a airport, in addition to economic problems," the group said in a statement.
Nearly 10,000 people have been killed since Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in the Yemeni conflict in 2015, triggering what the UN calls the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
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