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Yemenis say Riyadh must end war before peace talks

Yemeni school girls rally outside the United Nations office in Sanaa to mark the universal Children's Day on November 20, 2019, calling for an end to Yemen's war which the United Nations has described as the cause of the world's worst humanitarian crisis. (AFP photo)

Mohammed al-Attab 
Press TV, Sana'a

Saudi Arabia says it has invited Yemen’s Ansarullah Movement representatives to peace talks in the kingdom. Yemenis, however, say Riyadh needs to stop its deadly war on their country before any peace negotiation.

Five years after starting a devastating war on its southern neighbor, Riyadh says it has invited Ansarullah movement representatives to peace talks in the kingdom.

The move has been described as an attempt by Saudi Arabia to render itself a peace mediator between the Ansarullah Movement and those loyal to former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.

But the invitation comes at a time when Saudi Arabia continues to erode prospects for peace in Yemen by carrying airstrikes on the country.

Observers believe Saudi Arabia is desperately looking for a way to exit the costly quagmire in Yemen.

While Ansarullah and other Yemeni political parties have accepted the initiative, they have set a precondition for any such talks: that Riyadh must first end its war and lift its blockade.

Saudi Arabia started its war on Yemen in March 2015. Over 17 thousand civilians have been killed so far and thousands more have died from preventable diseases. Millions have also been forced to leave their homes.

Yemenis say Riyadh must admit that it has failed to achieve any of its declared goals after five years of war on Yemen. They say the international community must hold Saudi Arabia responsible for its war crimes against the Yemeni people.


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