Saudis Offer Yemen Ceasefire If Houthis Accept Buffer Zone

 

Trump may foil Yemen peace talks with new measures

Jason Ditz 

Posted onNovember 17, 2020CategoriesNewsTagsSaudi Arabia, Trump, Yemen

Saudi Arabia is continuing to try to sort out some progress on peace in Yemen, and is now offering to endorse a UN-backed ceasefire if the Houthis agree to a buffer zone at the Yemen-Saudi border.

Yemen and the Saudis have fought along the border for years, and it’s not surprising that the Saudis would want to at least preclude more such fighting as part of the peace process. They may need to hurry, however.

That’s because the Trump Administration is reportedly planning to declare the Houthis “terrorists” for nominally having ties with Iran, and once they do so, it will virtually forbid further peace talks going forward.

That would be a bad move for the US, as the Saudis really seem to want to wind down this war, and diplomacy is really the only way to accomplish that. The US may see calling the Houthis terrorists as another anti-Iran move, but it also greatly complicates the region.

https://news.antiwar.com/2020/11/17/saudis-offer-yemen-ceasefire-if-houthis-accept-buffer-zone/