Manama :Saudi Arabia has proposed a peace deal to end the nearly six-year war in Yemen, including a ceasefire and the lifting of air, sea blockades.
Apart from an UN-monitored nationwide ceasefire offer, the Saudi proposal also includes reopening the airport in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, allowing fuel and food imports through strategic Hodeidah port and resumption of political talks between the Saudi-Backed government and the Houthis.
According to a statement from the Saudi foreign ministry, the kingdom would support a UN humanitarian corridor in the oil-rich city of Marib, which has been under months of bombardment by the Houthis.
The initiative will take effect as soon as the Houthis agree to it, said Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
However, it appears from initial reactions that the offer may not be enough for the Houthis. They have insisted that the Saudis entirely lift the blockade of Hodeidah port and Sana’a airport, which has contributed to the world's worst humanitarian crisis in Yemen, as their main pre-condition before any peace deal.
The initiative aims to end the human suffering of the brotherly Yemeni people, and attests the Kingdom's support for efforts to reach a comprehensive political decision, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The peace offer also states that taxes and profits levied on oil tankers at the Hodeidah port should be deposited in a joint account with the Yemen Central Bank based in Hodeidah.
A recent CNN investigation revealed that not a single oil tanker has been able to dock in the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah this year because of the blockade.
Reacting to the Saudi initiative, a Houthi spokesperson said it provided nothing new, as the offer does not include a complete lift of the sea, and air blockade, Reuters reported.
The offer would not be treated as fresh or serious if it did not include an effort to separate humanitarian issues such as the blockade from political discussions, he said. But he added that they were prepared to speak to the US, Saudi Arabia and Oman to try to reach a resolution.
According to the Guardian, the Houthis rejected a US plan for a ceasefire two weeks ago as it did not include any efforts to lift the blockade.
The latest proposal comes amid a spike in drone and cruise missile attacks on the kingdom, including its oil facilities, for which the Iran-aligned Houthis have claimed responsibility.
The Saudi-backed government has not responded to the peace plan yet. The plan was also backed by the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, as well as by GCC countries.
Yemen has been embroiled in a nearly 6-years-long civil war that has killed more than 1,00,000 people, while 14 million are at risk of starvation, according to the UN. The civil war in Yemen began on 2014 related to anti-government protests and soon the Houthi militia took control of the capital, Sana'a and pushed President Abed Rabbo Mansour and the government to Aden. In 2015, Saudi-led coalition forces started airstrike against Houthis, and the next year they started ground attacks.
