An Omani delegation visiting Sanaa met with the leader of the Houthi movement, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, earlier this week. The visit is the first by Omani officials to Sanaa since the start of the ongoing war in Yemen.
Local reports suggest that the main topics discussed were the reopening of Sanaa’s airport; allowing fuel derivatives to enter Hodeidah port as per the Stockholm agreement; unconditional ceasefire on all fronts including Marib; and the start of a new round of direct negotiations between the Yemeni government and the Houthis.
"During the meeting, mutual messages related to humanitarian and other related issues were discussed," Mohamed Abdulsalam, the spokesman and chief negotiator for the Houthi movement wrote on Twitter.
Abdulsalam said the visit of the Omani delegation was part of the Gulf state's efforts "to serve the interests of Yemen and the region".
An unnamed local source told Al Quds Al Arabi that there was near consensus on opening the airport and Hodeidah port. This step will then pave a way for returning to political negotiations.
From the Yemeni government’s side, the foreign minister, Ahmed bin Mubarak, said that his government was betting on the success of the Omanis to bring all parties in the conflict closer together.
After the recent stagnation in peace efforts, Oman played a role in convincing the parties to engage in talks after implementing a ceasefire. It is unclear if the Omani delegation had offered any new propositions to the peace process. There is also immense US and European pressure on the parties to conflict to agree to a ceasefire.
