Saudi Arabia unveiled a proposal for a cease-fire aimed at disentangling itself from Yemen’s civil war, as rebel forces press an offensive and the Biden administration seeks to extricate the U.S. from the six-year-old conflict. The proposal announced Monday includes a nationwide cease-fire, reopening of both the airport in the capital San’a and the country’s largest port at Hodeidah, as well as the start of political consultations under United Nations supervision, which have so far failed to resolve the conflict between the Saudi-backed forces and the Houthi rebels.
“We want the guns to fall completely silent. That is the initiative and that is the only thing that can really help us get to the next step,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told reporters Monday. “We hope that we can have a cease-fire immediately, but the onus is on the Houthis.”
The Houthis, who are aligned with Saudi archenemy Iran, dismissed the proposal as containing nothing new. “Any positions or initiatives that don’t recognize that Yemen has been subjected to hostility and blockade for six years, and don’t separate the humanitarian aspect from any political or military bargain or lift the blockade are nothing new or serious,” said the group’s spokesman, Mohammed Abdel Salam.
Following the announcement, the State Department said Secretary Antony Blinken had spoken with Prince Faisal by phone to reiterate U.S. commitment to Saudi Arabia’s defense and support for efforts to end the conflict in Yemen. U.S. officials said they welcomed the commitment of both parties to a cease-fire and a political process to resolve the conflict. “We call on all parties to commit seriously to a cease-fire immediately,” a State Department spokesperson told reporters on Monday, calling it “one step in the right direction.”
The U.N. also welcomed the Saudi announcement, which it said aligns with its own initiative, deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters. Washington has backed the Saudi-led coalition since the Obama administration gave the green light for its initial intervention. The U.S. has sold weapons to Saudi Arabia and other coalition members, including the United Arab Emirates, and supplied it with intelligence and other support.
The latest proposal is in line with past Saudi statements and the agenda previously set out by the U.N.’s special envoy for Yemen. It also tracks closely with the terms laid out by U.S. special envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, during his meetings in the region earlier this month.
Peter Salisbury, a Yemen specialist with the International Crisis Group, said the move makes public what was being discussed in private: “The Saudi offer and the Houthi response more than anything show us that the gap between them hasn’t narrowed that much since last year, but that they are a little closer.”