The Saudi foreign minister claimed that his country is seeking a comprehensive ceasefire in Yemen and could coordinate with the new US administration.
In an interview with Saudi media, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud claimed that Riyadh is seeking to end its war against Yemen.
In an exclusive interview with Al-Arabiya on Friday night, the Saudi foreign minister claimed that the pro-Yemeni coalition led by his country is not an obstacle to a ceasefire in the country, but that Ansarullah is the main obstacle to a ceasefire agreement in the war-torn country.
He speaking in a milder tone than during the Donald Trump administration “The new US administration’s approach to the Yemeni war,” said: “We believe that if the Biden government evaluates the case [of the war in Yemen], it will see that the goals of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the [Arab anti-Yemeni] coalition are in line with the goals of the Biden government in this case.”
Bin Farhan further claimed: “Because we are all looking for a final end to the war and a comprehensive ceasefire and then to the beginning of the political process. “The main obstacle is not the coalition, but the Houthis, and we can coordinate positively and very well with the Biden government in this regard.”
He praised the former US president in the last moments of his four-year rule in calling Yemeni Ansarullah a terrorist and said that, this movement deserved such an action. Bin Farhan expressed hope that such a decision and action would force Ansarullah to participate in the Yemeni political process.
The Saudi foreign minister reiterated Riyadh’s preconditions for a ceasefire in Yemen, saying that Yemenis must agree to “reasonable conditions” mediated by the United Nations.
The Saudi foreign minister is talking about a comprehensive ceasefire in Yemen, while Riyadh, according to the UN special envoy to Yemen, prevented a comprehensive ceasefire agreement in Yemen after the Stockholm (or Al-Hudaidah) agreement in 2019 with excessive demands and the imposition of conditions.
The Yemeni National Salvation Government, of which Ansarullah is a member, has made any ceasefire in the country conditional on a halt to the Saudi coalition’s daily attacks on Yemen and the lifting of the five-year siege.