Yemen's House of Representatives Says  Houthi Visit to Riyadh Does Not Guarantee End of War

Yemen's House of Representatives said Friday that solutions for the civil conflict should not contradict the agreed-upon references, including the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216.

The reaction of the House of Representatives came after a team of the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group visited Saudi Arabia Thursday for peace talks with Saudi officials. The visit has sparked optimism about the near end of the Yemen conflict.

However, according to the House of Representatives, Peace remains distant if the negotiations on ending the conflict ignore the three references for stopping the war in Yemen.

The three references are the Gulf Initiative and its executive mechanism, the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference, and UN Security Council resolutions, especially Resolution 2216.

The UN Security Resolution 2216 demands the Houthis end the use of violence, withdraw their forces from all areas they have seized, including the capital, Sanaa, and relinquish all additional arms seized from military and security institutions, including missile systems.

Nine years have passed since the Houthis took over Sanaa and seized the state's civil and military institutions. They turned from a militant gang to a status quo government. Implementing UNSC resolution 2216 does not seem feasible today, and dismantling the Houthi authority is challenging for local, regional, and international bodies.

Mohammed Abdulsalam, the head of the Houthi negotiating team, said today in a statement to Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, a Saudi newspaper, that peace is the priority for the Houthi leadership. He expressed hope that the Riyadh discussions will culminate in tangible progress in all humanitarian, military, and political files in a way that achieves peace and stability in Yemen and the region.

Though the Houthi spokesperson says he is hopeful about peace, the Yemeni government, which has fought the Houthi group since 2015, is not confident of the group's willingness for genuine peace.

According to the House of Representatives, reaching peace requires sincere intentions and serious work to restore the state and spare the blood of the Yemeni people, which the Houthi group has not demonstrated.