Yemen’s Houthis outline conditions for peace with government

SANAA, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) — Mahdi al-Mashat, Head of Yemen’s Houthi supreme political council, on Friday said his group is ready for peace with the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition.
“The only solution to achieve peace is … paying the salaries of Yemenis, opening Yemen’s airports and ports, and releasing all prisoners,” said al-Mashat in a televised speech on the eve of the 10th anniversary of Houthi’s takeover of the capital Sanaa.
“Among the requirements of peace are also the payment of compensation, redress for damages, and the complete withdrawal from the Republic of Yemen by all foreign powers,” he said.
“We warn against the consequences of miscalculations and some people’s betting on the possibility of maintaining the state of no peace, no war, and the continuation of hostile tendencies against our people,” he said.
Yemen has been mired in a devastating conflict since 2014. On Sept. 21, 2014, the Houthi group seized control of several northern provinces, forcing the internationally recognized Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa.
The Saudi-led coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in the following year to support the Yemeni government. ■