Yemeni FM: US interests blocking Saudi-led coalition from ending war

Speaking to al-Masirah TV on Tuesday, Abdullah said any decision by the Saudi-led coalition of aggressors to stop the devastating campaign would be dependent on the United States’ dictates.

“Saudi fighter jets’ continued bombing of Yemeni soil is no sign of goodwill for peace,” the top diplomat said.

Abdullah said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking were trying to portray the Sana’a government as the side that is obstructing the peace process, but their attempts to deceive the world had already failed.

He pointed out that Saudi Arabia declared the war on Yemen from the White House, and that the offensive was being carried out with Washington’s direct participation and support.

He also voiced the Sana’a government’s opposition to linking humanitarian aid to political and military issues as part of any effort to restore peace to Yemen.

Abdullah pointed to the support that the Saudi-led coalition jets provide to the al-Qaeda terrorist group in al-Bayda Province, saying this shows the vague standards of the United States in its so-called fight against terrorism.

Saudi Arabia launched the devastating military aggression against its southern neighbor in March 2015 in collaboration with a number of its allied states such as the UAE, and with arms and logistics support from the US and several Western countries.

The aim was to return to power the former Riyadh-backed regime and crush the popular Ansarullah movement which has been running state affairs in the absence of an effective government in Yemen.

The war has stopped well shy of all of its goals, despite killing tens of thousands of Yemenis and turning entire Yemen into the scene of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Meanwhile, Yemeni forces have gone from strength to strength against the Saudi-led invaders, and left Riyadh and its allies bogged down in the impoverished country.