Going against overwhelming pessimism on Houthi militias heeding calls for an immediate ceasefire, many Yemeni, regional, and international circles are hopeful that Omani mediation succeeds in getting the Iran-backed group to engage in the US-backed UN peace plan.
The UN Special Envoy for Yemen had mapped out a peace plan encompassing humanitarian and economic measures that would ultimately lead to a final settlement for the raging war in the Arab country.
Last Saturday, Oman sent royal court officials to meet with Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi as Washington gets behind a serious push towards achieving peace in Yemen and having Houthis end their attack on its northeastern governorate of Marib.
In Marib, over a million Yemeni civilians have sought asylum from the ongoing bloodshed outside government-run territory.
For Washington, the interests of millions of Yemenis must be placed above Houthis pandering to Iran’s expansionist ambitions in Yemen.
While no official statement was made on the details of the meetings between Omanis and Houthis, Yemeni politicians stood by their claim that Houthis exclusively answer to Tehran.
However, they were optimistic towards Muscat’s jab at mediation finally proving that the militias are not serious about achieving peace before Griffiths steps down from his position as the UN envoy to Yemen.
Griffiths is preparing to leave the Yemeni issue for a new UN position in New York.
Houthi media reserved its reporting to acknowledging their leader having met with the Omani delegation and discussed exchanging messages related to “humanitarian affairs and other issues.”
Meanwhile, the internationally recognized Yemeni government’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak also held meetings with Omani and Arab Gulf officials and diplomats in Muscat.
This is a part of overall efforts spent by the Yemeni government to aimed at putting pressure on the Houthi-led insurgency to positively engage with the UN plan without separating the need for a ceasefire from resolving the humanitarian and economic crisis in Yemen.
