UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths’s three-pronged peace plan includes the “withdrawal of weapons, a transitional phase with the participation of Houthis in the government, and elections,” high-ranking officials told Asharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday.
According to the officials, who wished to remain anonymous, Yemenis would later decide on other controversial issues, including the situation in the south of Yemen.
The sources said that the expected peace talks would be held between the legitimate government and the rebels.
For his part, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdulmalik al-Mekhlafi told Asharq Al-Awsat that Houthis were refusing to hand over their weapons in the framework of a political solution in Yemen in order to “legitimize the coup.”
He stressed the need for insurgents to take arms out of the streets and withdraw from Yemeni cities.
Mekhlafi did not object to the formation of a future partnership government as part of a political solution but only after rebels hand over their weapons. “Otherwise, it would only be a legitimization of the coup, which we reject,” he said.
Asharq Al-Awsat spoke with a number of political analysts and diplomats about the willingness of Houthi militias to endorse peace.
They all agreed that it is difficult for the rebel group, which only supports wars, to accept a peaceful life in Yemen.
Former Yemeni Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Mustafa Naaman said that all parties in Yemen should offer some historic concessions to prevent the country from collapse.
He added that Houthis should admit they cannot possess illegitimate weapons.
“In return, the legitimate government – with Saudi Arabia playing the role of a mediator - should review all issues that bogged down the country in a quagmire.”
