Gulf states welcome UN-led peace push for war-torn Yemen

Gulf Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, on Monday welcomed new commitments by Yemen’s warring parties to take steps towards a ceasefire and engage in peace talks led by the United Nations.

The commitments announced by UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, marked the latest effort to end a bloody conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and unleashed one of the world’s worst humanitarian tragedies.

The Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country has been gripped by war since the Iran-backed Houthi militia overran Sanaa in 2014, triggering an Arab-led military intervention in support of the government the following year.

A UN-brokered ceasefire brought a sharp reduction in hostilities in April 2022. The truce expired in October last year, though fighting largely remains on hold.

Saudi Arabia said in a statement it welcomed the UN announcement on Saturday of a “roadmap to support the path of peace.”

Its foreign ministry encouraged Yemen’s warring parties “to sit at the dialogue table, to reach a comprehensive and lasting political solution under the auspices of the” UN.

Fellow mediator Oman also welcomed the development, saying it hopes a deal “will be signed as soon as possible.”

Qatar thanked the United Nations, Saudi Arabia and Oman for the peace push and urged the warring parties to accelerate an agreement.