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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has welcomed the peace initiative announced by Saudi Arabia offering a comprehensive roadmap including ceasefire for a negotiated settlement of the Yemen crisis.
“Pakistan considers this initiative a step in the right direction. We fully support Saudi efforts for peaceful settlement of the conflict in Yemen and stand in solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said a statement by the Foreign Office.
“We urge all parties to the conflict in Yemen to engage in a meaningful dialogue to end the hostilities in order to save thousands of innocent lives and ensure regional peace and stability,” added.
Saudi Arabia has offered Yemen’s Houthi rebels a UN-supervised ceasefire, as part of a series of new initiatives aimed at ending the six-year conflict. The initiative includes “a comprehensive ceasefire across the country under the supervision of the United Nations”, a Saudi government statement said.
Riyadh also proposed reopening the airport in Sanaa, the rebel-held capital, and restarting political negotiations between the Yemeni government and the Houthis, the statement added.
“We want the guns to fall completely silent,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told reporters in Riyadh. “The initiative will take effect as soon as the Houthis agree to it.”
The Houthis dismissed the Riyadh initiatives as “nothing new” and reiterated their demand that a Saudi-led air and sea blockade on Yemen be lifted first.“Saudi Arabia must declare an end to the aggression and lift the blockade completely,” said Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam.
In April last year, the Saudi-led military coalition battling the rebels began a temporary ceasefire in war-wracked Yemen to prevent the spread of coronavirus, but the Houthis dismissed the initiative as political manoeuvering.
The latest proposal follows a renewed push by the US administration of President Joe Biden to revive stalled peace talks. The United States, which has pulled support for the Saudi offensive operations in Yemen, has condemned a spike in Houthi drone and missile attacks on the kingdom.
A drone strike sparked a fire at a Riyadh oil refinery on Friday, in the second major assault this month on Saudi energy installations claimed by the insurgents. The Houthis are also battling towards Marib, the government’s last northern stronghold, piling pressure on Saudi-backed forces.
At the weekend, the Saudi-led coalition said it had launched airstrikes in support of pro-government forces battling a quickening Houthi rebel advance on Marib, the capital of an oil-rich region.
The UN, which says Yemen is facing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, warned last month of disastrous consequences for civilians if the fight for Marib continues.
Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have already been killed and millions displaced in Yemen’s long war, which has crippled the economy and healthcare system.
