S Arabia failed to achieve goals in Yemen: Analyst

Press TV has conducted an interview with Saeed Shahabi, a political analyst from London, about the new round of peace talks between the warring factions of Yemen in Kuwait City as Saudi Arabia continues bombing the Yemeni people.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Talk to us about the recent round of peace talks on the situation in Yemen, it's been described as the UN Special Envoy Yemen's last chance for peace. What would be different this time?

Shahabi: I think first of all the Saudis have failed to dislodge the Yemenis from their capital or to continue their, I mean, their futile military campaign in Yemen. They have really not achieved much apart from causing massive destruction to Yemen and its infrastructure. Many thousands of people were killed. Now they were forced into the negotiation table and they have undergone several rounds of talks the latest of which was in Kuwait and now the resumption of talks yesterday is an indication that the Saudis will simply fail to achieve anything outside the negotiating table.

Now, I understand from the people who attended the last round of negotiation, one of them told me yesterday that these people want to achieve through negotiations what they failed to achieve through war. That's not going to happen. They want the Yemeni people to submit to their will, to hand over their weapons and to go back home, a similar way to what they have been asking the Bahrainis to do especially during that the life of Nayef who said to Bahrainis: Just go and stay at home nothing will happen to you and no reform will take place.

So, you cannot run the countries in the region in this fashion. There is a need for the Yemenis to achieve their own sovereignty to decide on their own future, to determine to elect whatever government they want to achieve. The Saudis must not be given the right to dominate the region and especially after their mischief including I think their role in the Turkish coup.

Press TV: Mr. Shahabi, I think the biggest question in this case is that why can't the United Nations via its special envoy get the Saudis to stop their bombing campaign on Yemen?

Shahabi: Well, this is purple perplexing. This is silly. You can't continue ignoring the fact that the world must call for an immediate ceasefire. I'm surprised by President Obama by the European Union. Why are they shying away from saying: You must stop, the Saudis, you are aggressors, you are violating the international law, you have committed war crimes, you have killed children in Yemen and now it’s time to stop, if you don't stop then we will invoke the international regulations and laws and we will take you and make you responsible for war crimes. And I'm am surprised how complicit these countries are in the war against Yemen.

I mean there must be meaningful negotiation, which leads to Saudi stopping the war and also accounting for their crimes in Yemen. There must be a world stand, a world position, United Nations Security Council call for the Yemenis to be able to determine their own destiny, to elect their own government. There must be also a call for all reparations, for removal of blockade on Yemen and also for investigation into the various and many and multitude of violations of the basic human rights laws that govern war and peace.

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