Sources in Kerry’s delegation claimed that the secretary of state also held talks with his Gulf counterparts and a British minister in Saudi Arabia on the conflicts in Yemen, Syria and Libya. As with all previous such initiatives, Kerry’s statement laying out the plan demanded that the Shi’ite Houthis, who the Saudis are fighting, must immediately surrender all territory and unilaterally disarm before being allowed to participate in any talks.
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He said all participants agreed that a solution to the war must respect the security of Saudi Arabia and provide, “the Houthis, a minority, an opportunity to be part of a government in the future”.
The Houthis had been demanding a unity government as the first step toward resolving Yemen’s war.
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and other rights groups have similarly urged the United States, Britain, and France to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia until it curtails its airstrikes in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia heads an Arab coalition that began air raids in March 2015 and later sent in ground forces to support Yemen’s internationally-recognized government after Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies overran much of the country.
The United States remains committed to relieving the suffering of the Yemeni people and others displaced by conflict through the provision of humanitarian aid, as well as continued support for peace talks to ultimately end the conflict in Yemen.
He said the initiative will be implemented following a negotiation between UN Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed and all Yemeni political parties.
It also calls for the “withdrawal of forces from Sanaa and other key areas”, and the “transfer of all heavy weapons including ballistic missiles and launchers from the Houthis and forces allied with them to a third party”.
Since the conflict flared with Saudi Arabia’s entry, 3,799 civilians have been killed and 6,711 injured, according to the U.N. More than 7.6 million people are now suffering from malnutrition and at least three million people have been forced to flee their homes.
Kerry spoke of the “staggering” humanitarian impact of the war and announced an additional $189 million in aid in response to the crisis. He said he raised concerns about civilian casualties in Yemen during his meetings in Saudi Arabia.
As the civilian death toll in Yemen climbs following the suspension of United Nations -brokered peace talks, the kingdom has faced rising criticism from human rights groups.
In a statement, Zeid’s office said he “called on the worldwide community to establish an global, independent body to carry out comprehensive investigations in Yemen”, noting in particular “challenges” faced by the national panel set up under President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi – notably, security concerns.
In a new report, it laid out a long list of allegations of grave human rights abuses by all sides in the war. The border violence has killed several civilians and Saudi border guards.
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Meanwhile, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said his country rejected any civil putsches in Yemen and the crisis should be solved peacefully.
