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Presidential Leadership Council Vows to End War in Yemen, Achieve Peace

Head of Yemen's new Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi. (EPA)
Head of Yemen's new Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi. (EPA)
    Riyadh, Aden - Abdulhadi Habtor and Ali Rabih
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Presidential Leadership Council Vows to End War in Yemen, Achieve Peace

Head of Yemen's new Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi. (EPA)
Head of Yemen's new Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi. (EPA)

The head of Yemen's new Presidential Leadership Council said on Friday he would end the seven-year-long war via a peace process, in his first speech since power was delegated to the body by the president this week.

"The leadership council promises the people to end the war and achieve peace through a comprehensive peace process that guarantees the Yemeni people all its aspirations," Rashad Al-Alimi said in the televised speech.

President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi delegated power to the council and dismissed his deputy on Thursday, amid UN-led efforts to revive peace negotiations.

Alimi said in his speech the council would work to deal with "challenges in all areas of Yemen without discrimination, without exception".

The council will confront terrorism in all its forms and will work on combating sectarianism "that is alien to Yemeni society," he added.

All Yemenis will live in a modern state of law that will preserve fundamental rights of freedom, dignity and decent living, he continued. This will be achieved through a comprehensive peace process that achieves their rightful goals and ambitions.

Alimi called on the people and all national forces to support the agenda to restore the state, shun division and restore security and stability.

He stressed that the formation of the presidential council was evidence of the people's keenness on ending the war and restoring peace, stability, sovereignty and prosperity.

"We hope the establishment of the council will be a turning point in the process of restoring the state and its institutions and meeting the aspirations of our people," he continued.

He expressed his gratitude to the Saudi-led Arab coalition and United Arab Emirates for their unlimited support to the Yemeni people and government in pursuit of peace. He also expressed his gratitude to United Nations envoy Hans Grundberg and the United States' envoy, Tim Lenderking, for their peace efforts.

He vowed that the council will be fully committed to the Gulf initiative, national dialogue outcomes and international resolutions and laws.

Saudi Arabia announced $3 billion in financial aid to the legitimate government after Hadi's announcement.

Gulf Cooperation Council ministers have expressed their support for the council and starting negotiations with the Iran-backed Houthi militias under UN supervision "to reach a final and comprehensive political solution."

Yemen's warring sides have agreed on a two-month truce that began last Saturday.

The Houthis have since violated the ceasefire on numerous occasions.

Grundberg has expressed his concern over the breaches, tweeting: "I am following very closely the latest developments in Marib and urge all parties to show restraint and their continued commitment to the truce as promised to Yemenis."

The army confirmed 80 Houthis violations on all fronts in Marib, al-Jawf, Saada, Hajjah, Hodeidah and Taiz.

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Blinken Seeks to Avert Syria Turmoil with Europeans on Final Trip

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) met French FM Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris. Ludovic MARIN / POOL/AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) met French FM Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris. Ludovic MARIN / POOL/AFP
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Blinken Seeks to Avert Syria Turmoil with Europeans on Final Trip

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) met French FM Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris. Ludovic MARIN / POOL/AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) met French FM Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris. Ludovic MARIN / POOL/AFP

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was heading on Thursday to Rome for talks with European counterparts on bringing stability to Syria in the face of flare-ups with Türkiye, capping what is likely his final trip.
Blinken had been expected to remain in Italy through the weekend to join President Joe Biden but the outgoing US leader scrapped his trip, which was to include an audience with Pope Francis, to address wildfires sweeping Los Angeles.
Blinken, on a trip that has taken him to South Korea, Japan and France, was heading on Thursday from Paris and will meet for dinner in Rome with counterparts from Britain, France, Germany and Italy.
In Paris on Wednesday, Blinken said the United States was united with the Europeans on seeking a peaceful, stable Syria, a month after the opposition factions toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
But concerns have mounted over Türkiye’s threats against Syrian Kurdish fighters, who have effectively run their own state during the brutal civil war engulfing Syria.
A war monitor said that battles between Turkish-backed groups, supported by air strikes, and Kurdish-led forces killed 37 people on Thursday.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have worked with the United States on Washington's main stated priority -- battling the ISIS extremist group -- but Türkiye says the SDF has links with PKK militants at home.
Blinken in Paris said that Türkiye had "legitimate concerns" and that the SDF should gradually be integrated into a revamped national army, with foreign fighters removed.
"That's a process that's going to take some time. And in the meantime, what is profoundly not in the interest of everything positive we see happening in Syria would be a conflict," Blinken told reporters.
"We'll work very hard to make sure that that doesn't happen."
Blinken said he expected no change on goals in Syria from US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes over on January 20.
During his last term, Trump briefly said he would accede to a plea by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to pull out US troops that have been working in Syria with the Kurdish forces.
But he backed down after counter-appeals led by French President Emmanuel Macron.
When to ease sanctions?
Also on the agenda in Rome will be whether and when to ease sanctions on Syria.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday that some sanctions "could be lifted quickly".
The US Treasury Department said this week it would ease enforcement on restrictions that affect essential services.
But US officials say they will wait to see progress before any wider easing of sanctions -- and the Biden administration is unlikely in its final days to accept the political costs of removing Syria's victorious Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels from the US "terrorism" blacklist.
While Western powers are largely in synch on Syria, some differences remain.
Blinken reiterated US calls on European countries to repatriate citizens of theirs detained in Syria for working with the ISIS group and languishing in vast camps run by the Kurdish fighters.
France and Britain, with painful memories of attacks by homegrown extremists, have little desire to bring militants back.
The Rome talks come a week after the French and German foreign ministers, Jean-Noel Barrot and Annalena Baerbock, jointly visited Damascus and met new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to encourage an inclusive transition.
Sharaa, has promised to protect minorities after the fall of the iron-fisted but largely secular Assad.
A senior US official in turn said last month on meeting Sharaa that Washington was dropping a $10-million bounty on his head.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani will pay his own visit to Syria on Friday, during which he plans to announce an initial development aid package.
Italy's hard-right government has pledged to reduce immigration. Millions of Syrians sought asylum in Europe during the civil war, triggering a backlash in some parts of the continent that shook up European politics.
In contrast to other major European powers, Italy had moved to normalize ties with Assad just weeks before he fell, presuming at the time that he had effectively won the war.