While a date has yet to be officially set, the UN has announced Friday that all warring parties in Yemen have agreed to attend peace talks in Sweden. UN envoy Martin Griffiths said the talks would be “soon.”
Griffiths credited growing interest from the international community as helping get everyone on board for talks. He says it is a crucial opportunity that the world must seize to end the Yemen War, and the humanitarian crises that come along with it.
Preparatory meetings are already underway, and both sides are close to finalizing a prisoner exchange agreement on the sidelines of this effort. This too is a potentially strong confidence-building measure.
The last UN attempt to get peace talks going had the sides agreeing to attend, but was derailed when the Shi’ite Houthis were unable to secure guarantees of safe travel to the talks from the Saudi government. With the Saudis trying to make a big show of supporting this peace push, it is likely this will have better results.
Once again, I’ll believe it when I see it. The only way this won’t end up becoming another trap is if more western countries begin to actively push for peace because the Saudis and their pawns in Washington are likely just biding their time for another bloodbath.