After years of intense fighting, Yemeni activists, politicians and key figures concluded a week-long consultation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia aimed at discussing ways to end the conflict. The consultations witnessed politicians from across the spectrum discussing for the first time since 2015, ways forward for peace in Yemen.
Sarhan Al-Minaikher, the GCC ambassador to Yemen, said that almost 1,000 people participated in the intra-Yemeni consultations and that the participants were left in closed rooms to privately, transparently and directly exchange views without any interference from the Gulf bloc or any other country.
In tandem, last week witnessed the formation of the Presidential Leadership Council, a body of eight people, led by Rashad Al-Alimi and comprising Yemeni leaders representing different parties, including separatists and Saleh’s supporters.
The participants at the Riyadh meeting proposed a set of outcomes that included supporting and calling upon the new Presidential Leadership Council to start engaging in talks with the Houthis to end the war, boosting and reforming state institutions, adhering to a political rather than a military solution in Yemen, aiding economic recovery, addressing issues of social cohesion, and preserving internal peace.
In the meantime, UN Envoy Hans Grundeberg met with a delegation of Houthis in Muscat where both sides discussed the need to re-open Sana’a airport as soon as possible and maintain the current ceasefire. It is also expected that Grundberg will visit Sana’a soon for the first time since his appointment.
Source: commonspace.eu with Arab News (Riyadh), Al Jazeera (Doha) and Al Masdar Online (Yemen).
Picture: View from the Riyadh Consultations held last week in Saudi Arabia; Source: Social Media.
