Yemeni Houthi rebels have declared their readiness to resume peace talks with the government if all the hostilities in the country are terminated, local media reported on Sunday.
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Yemeni sources told Anadolu Agency that the visit was part of ongoing efforts by the Houthis to win recognition for a “governing council” that was recently unveiled by the Houthis and their main ally, the General People’s Congress (GPC) party of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Kerry announced a fresh global peace initiative to resolve the 17-month-old conflict after meeting on Thursday with Gulf counterparts, a British minister and the United Nations envoy to Yemen.
Ansarullah earlier rejected an initiative put forth by US Secretary of State John Kerry to resolve the crisis in Yemen.
Their plan is for Al Houthis to stop shelling across the border with Saudi Arabia, pull back from the capital Sana’a, give up their weapons and enter into a unity government with their domestic foes, who are backed by the GCC states.
The rebels had been demanding a unity government as the first step towards resolving Yemen’s war.
During talks in the Saudi port city of Jeddah this week, Kerry said the conflict in Yemen had gone on too long and needed to end.
On Saturday, a statement from the exiled government carried by the Saba news agency said: “The government is prepared to deal positively with any peaceful solutions…including an initial welcoming of the ideas resulting from the meeting in Jeddah that included the foreign secretaries of the US, the United Kingdom and Gulf states”.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has dismissed the USA claim that Iran ships arms to Yemen, rejecting the accusations as “unfounded”.
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Since March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries have been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi’s request.
