Ansarullah: Establishment of peace possible if aggression, siege ends

The popular defensive movement made the remarks through its spokesman Mohammed Abdul-Salam, who is also the head of the Yemeni National Salvation Government’s negotiation team, Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television channel reported.

Speaking on Thursday night, the official said, “Establishment of peace in Yemen depends on cessation of the aggression and annulment of the siege.”

The coalition began its war against Yemen in March 2015 to restore Saudi Arabia’s favorite officials there. The officials had fled the country earlier amid a power crisis, refusing to stay behind and negotiate.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis have died and the entire country pushed close to the brink of outright famine during the course of the aggression, which has been enjoying ample arms, logistical, and political support on the part of Washington.

The violence-riddled nation has, however, refused so far to give up its defensive operations and yield to the coalition’s demands.

“The great Yemeni nation’s epic resistance has led the aggressors’ choice for aggression and blockade to a heavy defeat,” Abdul-Salam noted.

He underlined his country’s deterrent missile power that it has been deploying successfully against the coalition’s attacks, reiterating that Yemen would only stop using the firepower if the coalition ended its war and the siege that it has been simultaneously enforcing against Yemen.

The official’s remarks came after US National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan said US President Joe Biden was to announce an end to Washington’s support for the war.

Sullivan reminded that Biden had pledged to do so during his presidential campaign. He claimed that the US president would even step further after the announcement by trying to deploy a more active diplomacy towards resolution of the conflict.

Sullivan said the US was to appoint a Yemen envoy, claiming that the prospect would mean that Washington was about to give more chance to diplomatic approaches in the area.

Observers say if the US chief executive went ahead with acting on his pledges, his attitude would mark a notable departure from the approach that used to be adopted by his predecessor Donald Trump, who optimized Washington’s patronage for the aggressors during his tenure.