Members of the “General Committee”, which is loyal to Yemeni late President Ali Abdullah Saleh are expected to meet on Sunday for the first time since his murder by Houthi militias on December 4.
The meeting of the leaders of “Sanaa Conference” will take place upon the arrival of deputy UN envoy to Yemen, Moein Shraim, to Sanaa with a new international effort to revive the peace negotiations, after the failure of previous rounds of talks held in Switzerland and Kuwait.
Shraim would seek to convince the militia delegation to accept a roadmap that would guarantee a political and military process to end the coup and to promote trust between the two sides.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdul Malik al-Mekhlafi has set five conditions for returning to negotiations with the coup.
In exclusive remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, al-Mekhlafi said: “There would be no return to negotiations with the Houthis unless they stop committing crimes against politicians and civilians, they release all detainees with no exceptions, stop launching rockets and attacks against cities, and commit to the three dialogue references, in addition to allowing the delivery of aid to the citizens.”
A senior source in the Congress Party told Asharq Al-Awsat that some 30 members of the General Committee headed by Sadiq Amin Abu Ras, decided to hold a meeting on Sunday to discuss the party’s internal situation and its foreign relations, including the stance towards the partnership with the Houthis.
“The majority of the leaders participating in the meeting adopt a moderate position, either out of fear of the Houthis’ oppression, or because they decided to support the group, while another group is demanding a strong stance condemning the killing of Saleh and his colleagues and the manipulation of the party’s leadership and members,” the source said.
