Pompeo: Al Houthis to blame for truce breach
DISCUSSES IRAN THREAT AND QATAR CRISIS IN RIYADH
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks in Saudi Arabia yesterday on a range of Mideast crises, topped by the conflicts in Syria and Yemen and threats from Iran.
Pompeo met with Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman on the latest stop of his Middle East tour that has so far been dominated by questions and concerns about the withdrawal of US troops from Syria.
During his talks Pompeo yesterday accused Yemen’s Iranbacked Al Houthi militants of failing to comply with a ceasefire agreement for the flashpoint city of Hodeida reached at UN-sponsored talks in Sweden.
“The work that was done in Sweden on Yemen was good, but both sides (need) to honour those commitments,” Pompeo said in Riyadh.
“Today, the Iranian-backed Al Houthis have chosen not to do that.”
The US embassy in Riyadh said yesterday that Pompeo and Prince Mohammad “agreed on (the) need for continued de-escalation and adherence to (the) Sweden agreements”, especially the ceasefire in the lifeline port city of Hodeida.
“A comprehensive political solution is only way to end the conflict,” the embassy tweeted.
Saudi assurance
Pompeo told the crown prince that his Middle East journey, which has taken him to Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE, had been “good” so far.
“I want to talk to you about a couple of places we’ve been. We think we learned a lot along the way that will be important going forward,” he said.
The prince replied that the Saudis would “try to add more positivity, as much as we can.”
Meanwhile, Saudi leaders assured Pompeo that everyone responsible for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi would be held accountable.
A Saudi court has begun trial proceedings for 11 suspects in the Khashoggi case, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for five of them. In October, the government said it had arrested 18 people.
The ongoing dispute between Qatar and four of America’s other close Arab partners was also discussed in Pompeo’s talks as it continues to be a major hindrance in a US-led effort to unite the Gulf Arab states, Egypt and Jordan in a military alliance to counter Iran.
Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE began a boycott of Qatar in June 2017 over Qatar’s funding of extremist groups and keeping too-cozy ties to Iran.
Pompeo’s meeting with Qatari Foreign Minister Shaikh Mohammad Bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani the day prior gave no sense of any movement in the ongoing diplomatic crisis with Doha.
Later, speaking to a US Embassy staff member in Qatar who said her job was moving to the UAE due to the boycott’s effects, Pompeo was even more frank. “It’s on everyone’s mind and not at all clear that the rift is any closer to being resolved today than it was yesterday and I regret that,” Pompeo said.