The UN has announced a May 28 date for the start of Yemen peace talks, though Yemen’s government-in-exile, as recognized by the Saudi government, suggested it was unlikely to participate.
The Riyadh-based government, the remnants of President Hadi’s government after he resigned in January, is demanding that the Houthis who currently control Yemen surrender cities in return for participation in the talks.
Riad Yassine, the last Hadi foreign minister, insisted initially that the Houthis would have to implement all of UN Security Council Resolution 2216, which would require them to cede the entire country, but later in his comments suggested that they needed to at least get back a major city like Aden or Taiz.
The Saudis have repeatedly ruled out peace talks in the past without a full Houthi disarmament and surrender as well, suggesting the UN effort is going to be lacking in the factions who could actually end the fighting.
That is what becomes of being a despotic monarch or president. You are so used to people bowing down in front of you that you can't understand when people give you two fingers.
The Houta government should capture a border city in Saudi Arabia, then it would be Saudi babies and Saudi infrastructure being bombed and the Saudi dictators would have some skin in the game.
The entire Yemen adventure smells like the new king is trying to consolidate control in his own palace. If this is true then anything less than total victory would put the king in a very bad position.
This morning I heard a radio report discussing the huge increase in executions in Saudi Arabia. Official state murder is generally reserved for drug crimes and murder. Planting drugs on troublemakers would be a very convenient way to dispose of them. As one would expect, this thought never occurred to the dimwit experts being interviewed. After ten minutes of head-scratching they concluded that they had no idea why Saudis are executing so many people – it's just a mystery…