Yemen's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdulmalik Al-Mekhlafi told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday that his county’s legitimate government set five new conditions to accept engaging in any new talks with the Houthis.
According to the deputy prime minister, those conditions stipulate that rebels immediately stop all crimes committed against politicians and civilians in Yemen, release all detainees without any exception, stop launching missiles, stop attacking and besieging cities and allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians without being interrupted, in addition to clearly backing the three references for a political solution in Yemen, including the Gulf Initiative, outcomes of the Comprehensive National Dialogue and Security Council Resolution 2216.
Al-Mekhlafi said that there would be no talks if Houthis fail to implement those five conditions.
“The current situation stipulates the need for rebels to show good intention, as there will be no return for talks in the way they went before,” he said.
The minister stressed that Houthis have “proved they are no partners in peace, and are not ready to currently engage in peace.”
He said that any talks about near negotiations is closer to being a wish in light of the Houthi behavior, which is far from being capable to achieve any peace.
“Iran considers the Houthis and their battle in Yemen as part of its war to control the Arab region, and therefore behave accordingly,” al-Mekhlafi added.
For his part, a high-ranking Yemeni government source uncovered the presence of efforts led by the legitimate government to include a delegation from the “General People’s Congress” party in any future talks on peace.
The source explained the GPC participation by saying that “peace talks were always based on two sides, the legitimate authority and the rebels and not on political parties.”
He added that by splitting from the Houthis, the GPC would be party of the legitimate government.
Meanwhile, procedures taken by Houthis uncovered that the militia already foiled, at least twice in the past few months, international efforts to bring back Yemeni parties to the negotiation table.
