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Yemen Rejects Houthi Attempts to Implement Swap Deal in Stages

UN envoy Martin Griffiths, to his right, head of the delegation of the Red Cross committee in Sanaa, when they attended talks between the government and Houthis in Amman last year. (Getty Images)
UN envoy Martin Griffiths, to his right, head of the delegation of the Red Cross committee in Sanaa, when they attended talks between the government and Houthis in Amman last year. (Getty Images)
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Yemen Rejects Houthi Attempts to Implement Swap Deal in Stages

UN envoy Martin Griffiths, to his right, head of the delegation of the Red Cross committee in Sanaa, when they attended talks between the government and Houthis in Amman last year. (Getty Images)
UN envoy Martin Griffiths, to his right, head of the delegation of the Red Cross committee in Sanaa, when they attended talks between the government and Houthis in Amman last year. (Getty Images)

The Yemeni legitimate government confirmed its commitment to the full implementation of the Amman Agreement on a prisoner exchange deal with the Iran-backed Houthi militias. The agreement, which Houthis are looking to implement in stages, stipulates the release of 1,420 people in its first phase.

Human rights deputy and negotiating member Majed Fadael, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, denied the government approved to divide the deal in phases.

The agreement was brokered in April after rounds of negotiations in the Jordanian capital, Amman, under the supervision of United Nations special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths’ office.

“There are no new talks. We are only discussing what we had arrived to in the third round of talks in Amman and this involves the release of 1,420 detainees in the first stage, building up to the point where a total swap is implemented through others,” Fadael told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“We have exchanged name roasters, and the swap is still underway, but we are yet to finalize the agreement on all names. There is a sufficient number of names that have been approved though and we insist that the swap includes 1,420 detainees,” Fadael added.

He stressed that the names of those to be released include detainees linked to the Arab coalition, one of the four included named in a UN Security Council resolution, journalists and the elderly.

While the Yemeni official stressed the importance of expediting the implementation of the lists of names, he accused the Houthi group of intransigence and evasiveness towards the Amman Agreement.

Rival parties in the Yemen conflict are in talks on a "quite considerable" prisoner exchange deal, a senior official from the International Committee of the Red Cross has told AFP.

"Today, the parties are talking about a prisoner release that is quite considerable, but there is still a bit of agreement that has to be made on lists" and implementation, said Franz Rauchenstein, head of the ICRC delegation in Yemen.

He said the agency was working very closely with the two parties to strike a deal.

"We are very hopeful it might take place in a few days or weeks from now, and the ICRC would be ready of course to implement that logistically," Rauchenstein said in an interview at the weekend.

"But there are still a few agreements to finalize," he added.

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Islamic Consensus in Istanbul on Need for Solidarity Against Israeli Escalation

A commemorative photo of the ministers and officials participating in the 51st session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Council in Istanbul (AFP)
A commemorative photo of the ministers and officials participating in the 51st session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Council in Istanbul (AFP)
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Islamic Consensus in Istanbul on Need for Solidarity Against Israeli Escalation

A commemorative photo of the ministers and officials participating in the 51st session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Council in Istanbul (AFP)
A commemorative photo of the ministers and officials participating in the 51st session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Council in Istanbul (AFP)

The 51st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held in Istanbul, witnessed a clear consensus among member states on the need for unity and solidarity in the face of Israel’s ongoing escalation. This comes amid continued international silence on the violations committed in Gaza and Israel’s expanding attacks into Lebanon, Syria, and Iran.
 
In his opening speech, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stated that the world’s silence on Israel’s aggressive policies in Palestine has only encouraged its regional expansion. He asserted that the coming period will see a “much greater role for the Islamic world, which must become an independent global power.”
 
Erdogan urged Islamic nations to overcome internal disputes and unite in defending their common causes. He warned that Netanyahu’s “Zionist ambitions” could push the world into catastrophe, likening the threat to that of Adolf Hitler, whose ambitions ignited World War II.
 
Regarding Iran, Erdogan stressed that defending oneself against Israeli attacks is a legitimate right, stating: “There is no difference between an attack on Tehran, Istanbul, Makkah, or Madinah - they share the same fate.”

He also warned against attempts to impose a “new Sykes-Picot” agreement on the region. He added that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is worse than Nazi concentration camps, with over two million Palestinians struggling to survive under siege for nearly two years.
 
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who assumed the presidency of the session, warned that Israel is dragging the region to the brink of total catastrophe.
He stressed that the core issue is not about Palestine, Iran, Lebanon, or others. It is “an Israeli problem,” he said. He further called for a firm stance against the aggression and praised Egypt and Qatar for their ongoing efforts to mediate a ceasefire.
 
Fidan criticized the failure of international mechanisms, particularly the UN Security Council, in addressing the ongoing atrocities in Gaza.
 
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit also condemned any targeting of nuclear facilities in Iran, warning of severe humanitarian and environmental consequences. He said that expanding the war will not bring peace and stressed the necessity of returning to diplomacy, referencing past successful negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.
 
Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi condemned Israel’s violations of international law and sovereignty in its attacks on Iran. He called for restraint, a return to diplomacy, and praised Oman’s mediation between the US and Iran.
 
Closed sessions were held in Istanbul to discuss developments in Gaza and Iran’s nuclear negotiations. A special Arab ministerial meeting also took place, denouncing the Israeli aggression against Iran and calling for urgent efforts to de-escalate.