Yemen 'welcomes political process but after end to Saudi war, siege'

Yemen's Ansarullah movement says the country would positively receive any attempt to end the Saudi-led war only after the coalition attacking Yemen stops its aggression and blockade against the impoverished Arab country.

Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the movement's spokesman, who is also the head of the Yemeni National Salvation Government's negotiating team, made the remarks in a tweet on Tuesday, after the US administration called on the Yemeni forces and allied fighters from Popular Committees to stop their push to take control of the northern city of Ma'rib.

Turning a blind eye to the continuation of the Saudi-led aggression and the brutal siege on the Yemeni people that has been going on for nearly six years, the US State Department said the army and popular defense forces must stop all military operations and return to the negotiating table.

"We are the ones calling for constructive and successful political action after a comprehensive cessation of aggression and an end to the siege," Abdul-Salam wrote in his tweet. "Based on past experiences, no political process will ever succeed under conditions of fire and siege. The aggressor must end his hostility and attacks and lift the siege of Yemen, and we are ready to deal with this issue with a positive approach.”

Earlier this month, the Yemeni army soldiers and their allied fighters resumed an offensive to take control of oil-rich Ma'rib, the last urban stronghold of militiamen loyal to pro-Saudi former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, in northern Yemen, which is some 120 kilometers east of the capital, Sana’a.

Media reports said at least 16 pro-Hadi militiamen were killed and 21 others wounded in clashes with the Yemeni forces near Ma'rib on Sunday.

Dozens killed in clashes between Yemeni forces, Hadi's militiamen in Ma’rib

Dozens are killed in clashes between Yemeni armed forces and militiamen loyal to former pro-Saudi president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in Ma’rib.

The US State Department’s statement came hours after the administration of new US President Joe Biden officially removed Yemen's popular Ansarullah movement from the US list of "foreign terrorist organizations."

Former US President Donald Trump had blacklisted the movement on his last full day in office despite warnings by other governments, aid groups, and the United Nations (UN) that potential US sanctions could push Yemen into a major famine and would bring more pain to millions of starving people in the war-ravaged country.

UN agencies warn 400K children may die of malnutrition

UN aid agencies warn that 2.3 million children under the age of five are estimated to be suffering from malnutrition.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the war on Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing Hadi's government back to power and eliminating the popular Ansarullah movement.

According to the UN, 80 percent of Yemen's 30 million people need some form of aid or protection. About 13.5 million Yemenis currently face acute food insecurity, UN data shows.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk