King Salman of Saudi Arabia has said his country supports a political solution to end the conflict in Yemen, during remarks delivered on Monday in his annual policy speech to the kingdom’s most senior officials, military officers, clerics and princes.
He said Saudi Arabia supports a political solution in line with a UN resolution that calls on Yemen’s rebel Houthis to withdraw from all major cities which the Shiite rebels have seized during the three-year war.
In the meantime, Houthi militants announced on Sunday that they would stop their “drone and missile strikes” against Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and their allies in Yemen.
The rebels said they were ready for a broader armistice if “the Saudi coalition wants peace” in a statement signed by Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the head of the rebels’ Supreme Revolutionary Committee’.
The warring parties had previously given “firm assurances” to UN envoy Martin Griffiths that they would meet for peace talks in Sweden. While the date has not been set, Griffiths said it would be “soon,” and that he plans to travel to rebel-held Sanaa later this week to discuss arrangements.
Al-Houthi also called on fellow rebels to stop launching attacks against the Saudi alliance to show goodwill and deprive the alliance of any justification for further attacks against Houthi forces.
