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Houthis Opt for War by Refusing UN Peace Efforts

Houthi militants in Yemen. (Reuters)
Houthi militants in Yemen. (Reuters)
    Sanaa, Riyadh - Asharq Al-Awsat, Abdul Hadi Habtoor
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Houthis Opt for War by Refusing UN Peace Efforts

Houthi militants in Yemen. (Reuters)
Houthi militants in Yemen. (Reuters)

The Iranian-backed Houthi militias confirmed on Tuesday their attachment to the choice of war by refusing fresh UN efforts to achieve peace in Yemen.

Houthi militias official sources said that head of the coup council, Saleh al-Sammad, rejected during a meeting with deputy UN envoy to Yemen, Moein Shraim any “partial solutions” to the Yemeni war, including a previous suggestion to hand over the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah to a neutral party.

Instead, the rebel group insisted that the Arab coalition fighting in Yemen lift the siege on Houthi-linked militias, reopen the Sanaa airport and stop launching airstrikes.

Sammad warned that the Houthis will continue fighting even if they end up controlling one section in Yemen, said the sources.

During the meeting with the UN deputy envoy, he also threatened to target maritime traffic in the Red Sea or any ship passing there should the Yemeni army continue to advance on Hodeidah province.

Commenting on Sammad’s position, Yemeni government spokesman Rajeh Badi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the international community should seriously confront such statements that constitute a threat to maritime traffic in the Bab al-Mandab strait, one of the most important sea passages in the world.

He added: “Those who were saying that the Houthis are a part of Yemen who should be involved in its political process, should now be aware that they we are dealing with a terrorist movement that is no different from ISIS or al-Qaeda.”

Currently, Shraim is leading efforts in Sanaa to revive peace talks between the Yemeni legitimate government and Houthis, in a hope to reach a comprehensive deal based on the three references for a political solution in Yemen, including the Gulf initiative, outcomes of the Comprehensive National Dialogue and Security Council Resolution 2216.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.