Saudi deputy defense minister: UN, international pressure needed for Houthis to engage in peace process

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Defense met the US Special Envoy for Yemen in Washington to discuss the conflict in Taiz and the need for UN-backed peace proposals to pose pressure on the Houthi militant group.

Prince Khalid bin Salman said that he affirmed to Timothy Lenderking the “Saudi-led Coalition’s backing of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council”, in a statement posted on his official Twitter account on Saturday.

“Although the momentum of the truce remains high, I reaffirmed the need for the United Nations and the international community to pressure the Houthis into reopening the roads of Taiz, deposit revenues of the Hodeidah port, and engage with peace proposals,” the statement added.

Prince Khalid also said he reiterated Saudi Arabia’s “aspirations for reaching a comprehensive political resolution to the crisis that will lead Yemen into peace and prosperity.”

The two-month ceasefire, which took effect on April 2, aimed to stop hostilities across the country, allow for the reopening of Sanaa International Airport, enable fuel ships into the port at Hodeidah and open roads in Taiz and many other provinces.