US in talks with Al Houthis to end Yemen conflict
Diplomats are stepping up efforts to find a solution to end the war there
Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia: A top US official said on Thursday that Washington was in talks with the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in a bid to end Yemen’s war.
“We are narrowly focused on trying to end the war in Yemen,” said Assistant Secretary of Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker.
“We are also having talks to the extent possible with the Houthis to try and find a mutually accepted negotiated solution to the conflict.”
The comment come as diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the conflict have increased.
Just this week, Swedish foreign minister Margot Wallstrom visited the region, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Oman.
She told Arab press during her trip that she had new ideas for ways to solve the war in Yemen.
The UAE is a key member of a Saudi-led coaliton fighting in Yemen in order to restore the internationally-recognised government of Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
An Iran-backed Al Houthi coup in 2014 ousted Hadi from the capital Sana’a.
Since then, Hadi set up temporary government headquarters in Aden and also spends much time in Riyadh.
While the coalition has made sweeping gains against Al Houthis across the country—liberating some 85 per cent of territories, main population centres remain under Al Houthi control.
The war has cost the lives of more than 10,000 people and has pushed the Arab world’s poorest country to the brink of famine.