Saudi official reveals: Riyadh opened a dialogue with the Houthis three years ago

A Saudi official said on Wednesday there was an "open channel" with the Houthis since 2016 to support peace in Yemen, weeks after their attacks on the kingdom stopped.

The comment came after Riyadh helped broker a power-sharing deal between the internationally recognized Yemeni government and the UAE-backed southern separatists, a move observers say could pave the way for a comprehensive peace deal.

"There has been an open channel with the Houthis since 2016. We are continuing these contacts to support peace in Yemen," the Saudi official told reporters. "We don't close our doors with the Houthis," he said.

The official, who asked not to be named, gave no further details about the nature of the channel, but his comments were made at a time when Houthi group attacks against the kingdom have been halted with missiles and drones for weeks.

"If the Houthis are serious about reducing the escalation and accept to come to the table, Saudi Arabia will support their request and all political parties to reach a political solution," he said.

Mohammed al-Bakhiti, a member of the Houthi political bureau, refused to deny or confirm talks with Saudi Arabia. In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said the group had not shut down channels of communication even with what he described as aggressor states.

In September, Washington announced talks with the Houthis. Assistant Foreign Minister for the Near East David Schenker said during a visit to Saudi Arabia that his country was in talks with the Houthis aimed at finding a "mutually acceptable" solution to the Yemen conflict.

"Our focus is on ending the war in Yemen and we are in talks with the Houthis to try to find a negotiated solution acceptable to both parties," Schenker told reporters in the southern city of Al-Kharj.

On September 21, the Houthis announced that they were ready to reach a peaceful solution with Riyadh. They repeated their offer later despite continued coalition raids.

The Saudi capital Riyadh witnessed on Tuesday the signing ceremony of an agreement between the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council, aimed at ending the power struggle in the south of the country, in the presence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.

The agreement called for activating the role of all Yemeni state institutions, as well as reorganizing military forces under the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, and uniting efforts "under the leadership of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy" to restore stability in the country.

The agreement noted the need for the participation of the Southern Transitional Council in negotiations to end the "coup of Houthi terrorist militias backed by the Iranian regime."

The agreement mentioned the return of all forces that stormed Aden last August to their previous positions with all their equipment and personnel, and the reorganization of military forces in the southern provinces.