Middle East: Mohammad Abdulsalam, who represented the Houthis in the recent UN-sponsored peace talks in Sweden, said the agreement on Hudaydah reached on Thursday between the National Unity government in Sana'a, led by the Houthis and the Saudi Arabia-backed exiled government, led by fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, was just a deal on the main issues involved and there was no binding agreement on how to implement the ceasefire in the port city, Iran Press reported.
Contradictory to the UN statements, Abdulsalam further explained that no final agreement had been reached on Hudaydah and that the talks were far from over.
“If we want to describe the manner of talking with the UN then I’d say yes, we’re close from certain issues in politics, economy, and humanitarian aid, but how it would be implemented depends on the other party, and the question lies if they’re ready to do so,” said Abdul Salem, who led the Sana'a delegation to the talks.
“Concerning Hudaydah, we made progress in terms of form and ideas, but in the content there was nothing. In the issue of the general spectrum, we had progress in ideas, but there were no agreements,” he added.
Ansarullah's Abdulsalam was quite clear that the agreement details had not been finalized and expressed doubts about the ability of his rivals to implement such measures on the ground.
“They don’t have any actual presence, neither on the ground, nor in politics, nor military-wise, nor in the media," he said.
Although the Yemeni official did acknowledge that the Yemeni government in Sana'a was interested in the implementation of the ceasefire while negotiations continue on other issues.
One of the most significant causes of civilian death in Yemen is the Saudi-coalition’s bombing campaign.
Responding to a question on what would happen if the Saudi-led coalition continued to attack Yemen, Abdulsalam said, “If the agreement wasn’t implemented or nobody, especially the other party, announces a serious ceasefire, this means that nothing happened, the war will continue, and it means that the UN has failed to do anything, and that UN envoy Martin Griffiths has failed.”
Since the comments were made at the end of the UN peace talks, reports have already surfaced of Saudi-coalition airstrikes and local gun battles taking place in Hudaydah province.
On December 13, 2018, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement and the country’s former Saudi-backed government have reached an agreement on a ceasefire in the Red Sea port city of Hudaydah.
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Yemeni groups reached an agreement after a week of negotiations in Sweden
The UN chief made the announcement shortly after the delegations of Yemeni warring parties agreed that the world body play a “leading role” at the vital port, which is currently controlled by the Houthis.
The new round of peace talks aimed at ending nearly four years of a brutal Saudi-led war on its southern neighbor came to a close in Sweden.
Despite nearly four years of military aggression, and the use of advanced American weaponry, and full military and logistic support from Washington, Saudi Arabia and its allies have not been successful militarily. The Saudi-UAE coalition has been unable to conquer the key port city of Hudaydah, despite a green light from the Americans, and despite the use of considerable military power at its disposal. In the end, the Saudis were forced to sit round the negotiating table.
Following the peace negotiations in Sweden, and an agreed halt to all military operations in Hudaydah, ships carrying humanitarian goods are now able to dock in Hudaydah port, delivering much-needed food, medicines, and other essential items. This represents a huge victory for the Houthi-Ansarullah movement of Yemen, and a resounding humiliating defeat for the Saudi-UAE coalition.
It is worth noting that the Ansarullah movement has now been recognized by both the United Nations, and the former government of fugitive president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi. This confirms the legitimacy of the Ansarullah movement, and the popular forces of Yemen. This is something that Saudi Arabia and its allies were not prepared to recognize just a few months ago.
San'a airport is still under the control of the legitimate government of Yemen, the Ansarullah movement and the popular forces. This counts as another embarrassing defeat for the Saudis, and their backers.
Extensive war crimes committed by Saudi Arabia and its backers in Yemen have become an international fiasco - a debacle - and an indelible mark of shame for Riyadh and its Western backers, particularly the United States of America.
Images and headlines of Saudi war crimes in Yemen have caused acute embarrassment in Washington - so much so that the House and Senate have now passed resolutions admonishing Donald Trump and his administration for aiding and abetting war crimes in Yemen, requiring the administration to halt all weapons sales to Saudi Arabia. The belated action by the Senate has been cold comfort for the Yemeni people though, who have seen their country devastated and their loved ones killed in a senseless war which has dragged on for nearly four years.
Over 14,000 Yemenis, including thousands of women and children have been killed in Saudi Arabia's senseless war in Yemen. 203/103
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