Washington boosts its diplomacy in the Gulf through the Yemeni gateway
The American envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, is visiting a number of Gulf countries to support the imposition of peace in the country, which has been destroyed by the war for 9 years. This tour comes days after the signing of the Saudi-Iranian agreement and amid American efforts to activate its role in a number of sensitive issues in the region in the face of an escalating Chinese role.
The United States chose the Yemeni file to restore the confidence of the Gulf parties in their policies, given that it is considered sensitive to those countries, especially Saudi Arabia. It is believed that the agreement between Tehran and Riyadh to resume relations will contribute, in one way or another, to the American and United Nations efforts to find a settlement in Yemen.
Observers believe that the United States is trying to salvage its shaky diplomacy in the Gulf through the Yemeni file, after turning its back on Riyadh, which has been subjected to attacks by the Houthis over the past years, without strong movement from Washington.
“The U.S. envoy began travel Tuesday to Saudi Arabia and Oman to continue intensive U.S. efforts to build on the U.N.-brokered truce that brought nearly a year of calm to Yemen,” the State Department said in a statement.
“This trip comes in the wake of the phone call made by US President Joe Biden on March 7th with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman, the theme of which was Yemen,” she said.
“The truce and subsequent lull in US diplomacy since 2021 has saved thousands of lives, provided tangible relief to millions of Yemenis, and created the best chance for peace in Yemen in years, she said.”
According to the statement, Linderking will urge all parties to seize this opportunity to reach a new agreement and move towards an inclusive Yemeni-led political process, under UN auspices.
The US envoy is also expected to meet with UN and international partners to garner support for ongoing peace efforts in Yemen, encourage donors to donate generously to address the world’s worst humanitarian crisis and help ensure that peace efforts yield tangible benefits for Yemenis.
He will support the UN-led operation to unload oil from the aging Safer tanker in order to prevent an environmental, humanitarian and economic disaster in the Red Sea.
UN efforts are continuing to promote negotiations between the Houthis and the Yemeni government in Switzerland for a prisoner exchange.
Yemen’s Presidential Command Council said Tuesday it would exchange all prisoners with the Huthis in accordance with the principle of “all for all”.
“The Command Council considers prisoners on all fronts from a strictly humanitarian perspective and is committed to the principle of ‘all for all’,” Presidential Command Council member Tareq Saleh said on his Twitter account.
“They are all Yemenis, and they are all prisoners. Their families have the right to be reunited with them, regardless of their affiliation before their families, and whatever their position after their release,” he said.
