Saudi Initiative Tops US, UN Yemen Envoys’ New Gulf Tour

The US and UN envoys to Yemen meet in Oman in February. (US State Department for Near Eastern Affairs)
The US and UN envoys to Yemen meet in Oman in February. (US State Department for Near Eastern Affairs)
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Saudi Initiative Tops US, UN Yemen Envoys’ New Gulf Tour

The US and UN envoys to Yemen meet in Oman in February. (US State Department for Near Eastern Affairs)
The US and UN envoys to Yemen meet in Oman in February. (US State Department for Near Eastern Affairs)

The United States’ envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, and United Nations envoy, Martin Griffiths, are expected to meet in Riyadh on Saturday for talks on the Yemeni crisis.

They are set to meet with Saudi and Yemeni government officials to discuss the Kingdom’s new initiative aimed at resolving the conflict.

Informed sources confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the envoys will be in Riyadh on Saturday, reflecting efforts to reach a political settlement.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday, Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber said that Griffiths will be setting the mechanism to implement the initiative.

The State Department announced Lenderking’s trip to the region on Thursday. The Iran-backed Houthi militias met the declaration and political efforts to resolve the crisis by firing eight armed drones towards Saudi cities later that day. A drone struck a petroleum products station in Jizan, causing minor damage.

This will be Lenderking’s third tour of the Gulf since his appointment in February. At the end of his second tour, which lasted 17 days, he announced that he would return to the region if the Houthis were ready to talk

Reuters had reported on a meeting that had taken place between the envoy and a Houthi delegation in Muscat on February 26. The State Department did not deny that the meeting had taken place.

Lenderking stated during an Atlantic Council seminar that he had exchanged messages with the Houthis and proposed a ceasefire aimed at reaching a peaceful solution to the crisis.

Nonresident fellow at the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, Gregory Johnsen said none of these various armed groups in Yemen – whether the government forces, Houthis or Southern Transitional Council - are strong enough to impose their will on the rest of the country.

In an article to the Brookings Institution, he added: “Yet nearly all of these groups possess enough men and munitions to act as a spoiler to any national peace deal they feel does not adequately address their interests.”

“More concerning still is the fact that the longer the fighting continues, the more armed groups are likely to emerge. (…) Combine that with the fact that Yemen has a shrinking economic pie — exports are largely limited to the oil and gas fields in Marib, Shabwa and Hadramawt — and the recipe is in place for years of conflict to come,” he continued.

Moreover, he said the Houthis “do not want to be part of a state; they want to be the state. They are not about to give up at the bargaining table what they believe they have won on the battlefield.”

“Yemen’s fragmentation raises a number of challenges for the United States. The US isn’t going to recognize all of the different warlords and armed groups that hold sway on the ground in Yemen. But for a variety of reasons, from counterterrorism to humanitarian and refugee concerns to Red Sea shipping lanes, the US is going to have to deal with many of them.”

“The nation-state system is the key building block of diplomacy, international relations and national security. The United States, like most countries, is set up to deal with other nation-states. The military prefers to work ‘by, with, and through’ local partners,” Johnsen said.



Kuwait Revokes Citizenship of 1,145 Women, 13 Men

The Supreme Committee to Investigate the Kuwaiti Citizenship has decided to revoke and annul the Kuwaiti citizenship of 1,145 women and 13 men. (KUNA)
The Supreme Committee to Investigate the Kuwaiti Citizenship has decided to revoke and annul the Kuwaiti citizenship of 1,145 women and 13 men. (KUNA)
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Kuwait Revokes Citizenship of 1,145 Women, 13 Men

The Supreme Committee to Investigate the Kuwaiti Citizenship has decided to revoke and annul the Kuwaiti citizenship of 1,145 women and 13 men. (KUNA)
The Supreme Committee to Investigate the Kuwaiti Citizenship has decided to revoke and annul the Kuwaiti citizenship of 1,145 women and 13 men. (KUNA)

Kuwait issued seven new decrees on Saturday, revoking the Kuwaiti nationality of 1,145 women and 13 men, along with any individuals who may have acquired citizenship through affiliation.
The decrees, which are set to be published in the official Kuwaiti gazette on Sunday, stated that the decision followed a review of the Constitution, the Kuwaiti Nationality Law, and the recommendation of the First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister.
The decrees include the revocation of Kuwaiti nationality from 1,145 women, as well as individuals who may have acquired it through affiliation.
Additionally, the citizenship of certain individuals was rescinded under Article 21 of the Nationality Law, which permits the withdrawal of nationality if it was granted based on fraud, false statements, or incorrect documentation.
Under Kuwaiti law, the cabinet, acting on a proposal from the Interior Minister, has the authority to revoke citizenship in such cases. This also applies to individuals who acquired Kuwaiti nationality through affiliation with the original certificate holder.
Last Thursday, the Supreme Committee for Citizenship Affairs convened a meeting, chaired by the Acting Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah, who also serves as the committee's chairman.

The committee decided to revoke and annul the Kuwaiti citizenship of 1,647 individuals, with plans to present their cases to the Cabinet for further review.
This brings the total number of cases to 4,601 since October 31, a span of just three weeks.
The Committee began its work in early March, when Kuwaiti authorities launched a campaign to revoke citizenships for various reasons, primarily linked to fraud.
The Kuwaiti government states that the revocation of citizenship from forgers and dual nationals is intended to "preserve national identity, ensure stability, and protect the national fabric," as well as to remove the records of individuals who obtained citizenship through illegal means.