China hopeful of solution to Yemen issue

Parties urged to take steps toward peace to end conflict, experts say

While analysts urged relevant parties in Yemen to continue working in good faith for peace amid a multifaceted and complex situation, China expressed its hope for substantial steps toward a political solution to the Yemen conflict.

Seeking peace and development is the popular sentiment and the general trend in the Middle East, Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, told the United Nations Security Council on Monday.

"China hopes that all parties in Yemen will follow the regional trend, respond to the calls of the people, seize favorable opportunities, and make greater efforts in order to take substantial steps as soon as possible in achieving a political solution to the Yemeni conflict," Geng said.

During the meeting, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg noted recent signs of hope in Yemen, including the mass prisoner exchange. But he warned that "the tide could still turn" unless "the parties take bolder steps toward peace" and that more work remains to end the conflict between the Saudi coalition-backed government and Houthi militias.

On April 16, the Yemeni government welcomed Saudi Arabia's efforts to revitalize the peace process after the recent visit of a Saudi diplomatic delegation to Yemen's Sanaa.

In a brief press statement, the Yemeni ministry commended "the continuous efforts of Saudi Arabia in alleviating human suffering and reinvigorating the peace process in Yemen". It also reiterated support for Saudi-led initiatives, as well as other regional and international efforts that seek to end the yearslong war.

On Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced in a statement that 104 Yemeni detainees were unilaterally released by Saudi Arabia. They boarded ICRC planes and arrived in Yemen the same day.

Abdulghani Al-Iryani, a senior researcher at think tank the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies who has also worked with the UN Development Programme's mission in Hudaydah, Yemen, noted that unfortunately "only one Yemeni party to the conflict is involved in the talks".

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit welcomed the continuation of exchanging detained and kidnapped persons between the Yemeni sides.

Abdul Wahed Jalal Nori, author of State-building under Foreign Occupation: The Case of Iraq 2003-2008, told China Daily that since the Yemen conflict is multifaceted "with multiple actors and interests involved", Iran and Saudi Arabia coming together could help address the humanitarian crises in Yemen.

Hopes to end the conflict in Yemen were first raised in April last year, after the UN brokered a two-month truce agreed upon by the Yemeni government and Houthi militias. This was renewed on Oct 2, but the parties failed to reach a deal on further extension.

Significant shift

Abdul Wahed said that with the parties expressing their willingness to engage in meaningful negotiations, the significant shift in the current geopolitical landscape "is a good development".

Henelito Sevilla Jr, a West Asia analyst and dean and professor in the Asian Center at the University of the Philippines, told China Daily: "In order to build on credible peace, involved parties — in this case, Saudi, Yemen and Iran — need to work in good faith to achieve relative peace by continuing dialogue between each other to address sensitive concerns that may jeopardize their own national security interests."

The recent warming up of the diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia may be considered to be positive signals that will allow other countries in the Gulf to follow this development, but it will not, in a short period of time, guarantee immediate foreign policy or political accommodation, said Sevilla.

At a March 15 meeting of the UN Security Council, Geng said that China hopes the Saudi-Iranian agreement to resume ties can help mitigate the situation in Yemen and stands ready to continue its unwavering efforts toward resolving the Yemeni issue.