Iran Press/ Middle East: Abdul Malik al-Ajri told Al Jazeera that the Houthis, who arrived in the Swedish capital on Tuesday, were looking to discuss a range of political issues such as drafting of a new constitution and the issue of southern Yemen, where calls have been growing since March 2015 for independence from the north.
"We are hoping these negotiations will help end the war," al-Ajri said. "We will be calling for the land, sea and air blockade imposed on Yemen [by Saudi Arabia and the UAE] to be lifted, and for restrictions on goods entering the country to be lifted," he added.
"A political solution is the only route to save whatever can be saved," senior leader from Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement noted.
Abdul Malik al-Ajri is part of the Houthi delegation that is to conduct talks in Sweden
Delegates from the Houthi Ansarullah movement, escorted by United Nations Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths, have flown from the Yemeni capital city of Sana’a to Sweden to attend UN-sponsored peace negotiations with representatives from the administration of former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
Although no date has been announced for the start of the talks, there are reports they could begin on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia, with the support of the United States, the United Arab Emirates and several other countries, has engaged in military aggression against Yemen and ground sieges, naval and air strikes since March 2015. The war initiated by Saudi Arabia and its allies in Yemen has killed more than 14,000 Yemeni people, injured tens of thousands and displaced millions of Yemenis.
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