News / Yemen

Ansarullah delegation in China to discuss Yemen crisis

Thursday, 01 December 2016 6:57 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 01 December 2016 7:08 PM ]

Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement spokesman Mohammad Abdulsalam (Photo by AFP)

A delegation from the Yemeni Houthi Ansarullah movement has traveled to China to hold talks with senior officials over the conflict in the impoverished country exacerbated by the Saudi military aggression.

The delegation, headed by Ansarullah spokesman Mohammad Abdulsalam, arrived in Beijing on Thursday at the invitation of the Chinese government.

Negotiations between the two sides were reported to be focused on bilateral political relations, resolving the conflict in Yemen and China’s support in settling problems.

The delegation included senior Ansarullah figures such as Hamza al-Houthi and Mahdi al-Mashat.

China has, on several occasions, stressed that crises in Syria and Yemen should be resolved through political means rather than force.

UN envoy sits down with Hadi

Separately on Thursday, United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed met with Yemen’s former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, in the Yemeni port city of Aden to discuss a UN peace plan.

The handout picture released by the Yemeni Presidency shows resigned president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi (R) meeting with United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed (L) in Aden, Yemen, December 5, 2015. (Via AP)

Following the meeting, Ahmed said in videotaped comments that the aim of his mission was to “return to dialogue and a peaceful solution.”

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Saba news agency reported that Hadi had reiterated his rejection of the peace roadmap put forward by the UN envoy in October.

According to informed sources, the proposal urges agreement on naming a new vice president after the Houthis withdraw from several Yemeni cities and hand over their arms to a third party. Hadi is also obliged to transfer power to the vice president, who would appoint a new premier to form a government.

The Houthis took control of state affairs in 2014 after Hadi resigned despite Ansarullah calls to review the decision, a move that created more chaos in a country already grappling with al-Qaeda terror threats.

Hadi has mostly been based in the Saudi capital city of Riyadh. However, he flew to Aden last Saturday.

The Houthis and the Yemeni army have been defending Yemen against the deadly Saudi military campaign, which was launched in March 2015 with the aim of reinstalling Hadi, a close Riyadh ally.

The Saudi war has left at least 11,400 civilians dead, according to a latest tally by a Yemeni monitoring group.

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