Saudi Peace Initiatives Meant to Cover Up Crimes Against Yemenis: Official

Date: 13 April 2021 - 22:20

News ID: ۸۹۱۳۰

SANA’A (Press TV) – Chairman of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council has roundly dismissed Saudi Arabia’s so-called peace initiative on the conflict in his country, emphasizing that such bids are meant to conceal the heinous crimes that the Riyadh regime and its allies are perpetrating against the Yemeni nation.
"The continuation of the crippling U.S.-Saudi blockade and aggression against our people for seven years proves to the entire world that the aggressor states as well as Washington have no respect whatsoever for human values and principles,” Mehdi Mohammad Hussein al-Mashat said in a message on the occasion of the arrival of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
He added, "Their talk of peace and at the same time pressing ahead with their aggression and siege is simply nothing but a desperate attempt to cover up their horrific crimes against Yemeni people.”
On March 22, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud presented a so-called peace initiative to end the war in Yemen, which would include reopening Sana’a airport and allow fuel and food imports through Hudaydah port — both of which are under the control of the Ansarullah movement.
The top Saudi diplomat told a news conference at the time that political negotiations between representatives of the Saudi-backed government of Yemen’s former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Ansarullah movement would resume as part of the initiative.
Al Saud said the initiative would be enforced once the Yemeni sides accepted it.
Reacting to the proposal, Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the spokesman for Ansarullah, said afterwards that it offered "nothing new,” and did not meet the movement’s demand for a complete lifting of the blockade on Sana’a airport and Hudaydah port.
"We expected that Saudi Arabia would announce an end to the blockade of ports and airports and an initiative to allow in 14 ships that are held by the coalition,” he said. A "humanitarian right” should not be used as a pressure tool.