Saudi, Omani envoys hold peace talks with Houthi leaders in Sanaa
(VOVWORLD) - Saudi and Omani delegations held talks with Houthi officials in Yemen's capital Sanaa on Sunday, Houthi-run media said, as Riyadh seeks a permanent ceasefire to end its military involvement in the country's long-running war.
 Head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat (C), at a meeting with the Saudi and Omani delegations in Sanaa, Yemen, April 9, 2023. (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
According to the Houthi-run SABA news agency, two special envoys from Saudi Arabia and Oman met head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, in the capital Sanaa. Al-Mashat reiterated the group's position that it seeks "honourable peace" and that the Yemeni people aspire to "freedom and independence".
Sources have told Reuters news agency that the Saudi-Houthi talks are focused on a full reopening of Houthi-controlled ports and Sanaa airport, payment of wages for public servants, rebuilding efforts, and a timeline for foreign forces to exit the country.
The devastating conflict began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital of Sanaa and much of northern Yemen and forced the government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition, including the United Arab Emirates, intervened in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognised government to power.