Despite high tension, Yemen peace talks are said to be on next week in Sweden
CAIRO — Britain’s ambassador to Yemen said Thursday he has spoken with representatives from the country’s warring sides and that he expects them to attend peace talks that are to begin next week in Stockholm.
However, overnight fighting cast a cloud on efforts to establish a ceasefire in the war-torn Arab country. Peace talks to end Yemen’s three-year war pitting a Saudi-led coalition and rival Iranaligned Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, have repeatedly fallen through, most recently in September after the rebels did not attend.
Ambassador Michael Aron posted on Twitter that he had spoken with Mohammed Abdel-Salam, a spokesman for the rebels, and also met with Khaled al-Yemeni, the foreign minister for Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
“I have booked my trip and look forward to seeing you there leading your delegation,” he said in an Arabic message to Mr. AbdelSalam. “The political solution is the way forward and these consultations are a great step forward.”
Mr. Aron also sent Mr. al-Yemeni a similar message, but did not mention where they had met.
In the latest sign that deescalation efforts are failing on the ground however, the Houthis said they fired ballistic missiles into Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for the first time since saying they would stop such cross-border attacks on Nov. 18 as a sign of good will. Combat also continues in other areas throughout the country.
The rebels said that they fired the Badr-1 missiles into the southern Saudi border region of Najran, claiming they hit an air base, destroyed Apache attack helicopters and killed two pilots from the Saudiled coalition.
Saudi authorities were not immediately available for comment.
Hours earlier on Wednesday night, the rebels called for suspending truce efforts in Yemen over what they alleged was U.S. opposition to the text of a British cease-fire initiative at the United Nations.
Meanwhile, patience with Saudi Arabia, long a U.S. ally, has grown thin over the Oct. 2 killing and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul. Those allegedly involved include members of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s entourage.
The U.S. Senate voted this week to move forward a measure to withdraw American support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.