Saudi Arabia pretends seeking peace in Yemen: Activist

Press TV has interviewed Hussain al-Bukhaiti, an activist and political commentator in Sana’a, to discuss Saudi Arabia’s ongoing military campaign against Yemen, despite calls made by the Kingdom’s foreign minister for a political solution to the crisis.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Why this contradiction? Why is the Saudi foreign minister talking about political talks and resolution on the one hand and yet the continual pounding of Yemen by Saudi forces on the other hand?

Bukhaiti: The Saudis [are] doing that, just they are trying to sell out through the international media that they are willing for peace and they are looking for peace and they want to end this war but on the other hand they keep pounding and bombing Yemen for the last almost over eleven months now.

We know that there was a kind of calm at the border and maybe as well over Sana’a, the city, but everywhere else the Saudis continued their airstrikes, they continued their air campaign, their blockade still exists and they are not allowing any medicine or any food or fuel to come into country.

Days ago they have threatened all ships which had got permission from the United Nations to come to Yemen, they have warned them to leave Hudaydah port because I think in the coming days they will try or they will target Hudaydah port because the only thing they want, they want to destroy all Yemen infrastructure, they want to bring Yemenis into submission and all that rumors about there is a kind of an agreement as the Saudis claim is all lies.

There was kind of a tribal meeting between both sides because we know that tribes in the Yemeni border and the Saudi border, they are the most affected by this war and they have met to see ways that they can do maybe to help bring new channels for negotiations or to bring peace in Yemen.

Press TV: Speaking of that, what are the chances that these talks can bring about some form of ceasefire at least and then a concerted effort to end this aggression?

Bukhaiti: I think the only thing those kinds of talks can bring is the same calm we had three days ago in the border but anywhere else in Yemen we have seen that the Saudis [are] still bombing everywhere and al-Qaeda is still active in Yemen and al-Qaeda now is threatening Yemeni security more than the Saudi airplanes and this is the problem that the Yemenis are going to face in the future and the only thing I think that will have any pressure on the Saudis is through the international community.

If they are going to do steps to stop this aggression, if countries like the US, Britain and France will stop their weapons sales to the Saudis or at least will threaten the Saudis or call for an independent investigation as the United Nations was planning to do before, because we know all reports are against the Saudi war, all reports [are] condemning the Saudi war and the only thing that is not condemning the Saudi war is the United Nations Security Council and this is the most important council in the world. They are the one who started the war in Yemen and they are the one who will stop the war in Yemen.  

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