A Saudi delegation headed by Ambassador Mohammed Al Jaber held talks in the Yemeni capital Sana'a with the head of the political bureau of the Ansar Allah Houthi group, Mahdi Mohammed Al-Mashat, on ways to bring peace to Yemen and reach a permanent ceasefire agreement.
The visit signals progress in Omani-brokered consultations between Riyadh and Sana'a, in parallel with UN peace efforts. Peace efforts also gained momentum after Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to resume relations under a Chinese-brokered deal, after seven years of estrangement.
According to a Yemeni diplomat in the Gulf, the Saudi delegation is visiting Sanaa "to discuss moving forward in making peace in Yemen."
A photo published by Houthi-affiliated media on Sunday showed the Saudi ambassador shaking hands with Al-Mashat, and another mediated the Saudi delegation, an Omani delegation leading the mediation between the two sides and Houthi officials.
Saudi Ambassador Mohammed Al Jaber (right) shakes hands with Ansar Allah Houthi political bureau chief Mahdi Mohammed al-Mashat (Reuters)
The Houthi-run Saba news agency reported that the Saudi and Omani delegations arrived in the Yemeni capital Sanaa late on Saturday, where they met with Al-Mashat at the presidential palace in Sanaa.
The agency quoted Al-Mashat as grateful for the mediation efforts carried out by the Sultanate of Oman to bring views closer and achieve peace, and quoted the head of the Saudi delegation as appreciating the role of the Sultanate of Oman and its keenness to support peace and stability in Yemen.
Oman, which shares a border with Yemen, has been trying for years to resolve differences between Yemen's warring parties and, more broadly, between Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
According to Yemeni government sources, members of the Yemeni Presidency Council recently agreed on a Saudi vision on resolving the Yemeni crisis, after two months of Saudi-Houthi talks under Omani auspices in Muscat.
According to the sources, the Saudi vision is based on agreeing to a 6-month truce in a first confidence-building phase, followed by a 3-month negotiation period on managing the transitional phase, which will last two years, during which the final solution will be negotiated between all parties.
Saudi talks in Sanaa on ways to bring peace to Yemen and reach a permanent ceasefire agreement (Reuters)
Sources told Reuters the talks would focus on reopening Houthi-controlled ports and Sanaa airport, paying public staff salaries and reconstruction efforts, and a timeframe for the exit of foreign troops from the country.
A Houthi official said on Saturday they had received 13 prisoners released by Saudi Arabia in exchange for a Saudi prisoner released earlier, ahead of a wider prisoner exchange agreed by the warring sides.
Saudi delegations have previously visited the capital Sanaa for talks on prisoner exchanges with the Houthis, who control the capital and large areas in northern, central and western Yemen.
Regional and international efforts are escalating to renew a six-month truce that ended on October 6, and the legitimate government and the Houthis accuse each other of responsibility for the failure to extend it.
Yemen has been suffering for nearly 9 years from an ongoing war between forces loyal to the legitimate government, backed by a Saudi-led Arab military coalition, and the Iran-backed Houthi forces who have controlled governorates since 2014.