Houthi leader Mahdi al-Mashat (left) shakes hands with Saudi Ambassador Mohammed bin Saeed al-Jaber. Saudi Arabia has been trying to end a costly war for some time now. Photo: Yemen, Saudi Arabia/Ansar Allah Media Office.
A delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in the Yemeni capital Sana'a for peace talks on Monday in the country. this is the biggest push to end the country's eight-year involvement in the country's war.
Negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, which involve Oman, are now in their final stages, according to sources. familiar with the negotiations and Yemeni government officials.
Mahdi al-Mashat, president of the Houthi political council, met with delegations from Oman and Saudi Arabia on Sunday to agree on plans for a permanent ceasefire and a comprehensive peace plan, the Houthi-run Saba news agency reported.
The previous ceasefire expired in October, and although there were violations, it has been largely observed since then.
Photos released on Sunday of the two delegations shaking hands marked the first public reception of Saudi officials in Houthi-controlled Sana'a since 2015, although another visit was reported earlier this year.
< p> Most of the Houthis' demands in the talks are expected to be met as part of a negotiated deal.
Oman official. The plan is designed to pave the way for a two-year «transition period». period for Yemen. Photo: Ansar Allah Media Office/Ansar Allah Media Office
Sources familiar with the talks told The Telegraph that the initial plan was to extend the ceasefire for six months to end hostilities across the country. Over time, the restrictions imposed by the Saudi-led coalition at Sanaa airport and the Houthis on the seaports of Hodeida will be lifted. Sana'a, controlled by the Houthis, for security reasons.
The Houthis are being asked to end the siege of Taiz, Yemen's third largest city, which has been in place since the early days of the war. The joint roadmap includes one of the Houthis' biggest demands: paying their civil servants, including the armed forces, from oil and gas revenues in the country's south.
Then will follow a second track of a series of negotiations, in during which the deeply divided Yemeni parties must begin peace talks.
The Houthis are asked to end the siege of Taiz. Photo: REUTERS/REUTERS
A Yemeni government spokesman said that peace talks between the internationally recognized government and the Houthis will take place after a six-month truce and will be controlled by Saudi Arabia. , Oman and the UN envoy in Yemen.
The plan is designed to pave the way for a two-year «transition» period for Yemen, although sources briefed on the talks said it remains unclear what that will look like in reality.
Saudi Arabia, which has joined the war in support of internationally recognized government in 2015, has for some time sought to end a costly war. The process accelerated after China brokered a shock rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which backs the Houthi rebels, last month.
Fareah al-Muslimi, a researcher at Chatham House, said: “Proxy war [between Saudi Arabia and Iran] was not the root of the war, but became the most destructive.» will remain: civil war and the collapse of the state. They are less destructive, especially without external support, but this will be the most difficult peace. This is not about two countries deciding to behave well, but about deeply rooted problems that take years and generations to reconcile.”
A major exchange of 887 prisoners, mediated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, is expected in the coming days .
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