Yemen government welcomes US peace plan; Houthis reject it

Yemen’s government has welcomed a plan announced by US Secretary of State John Kerry in Jeddah to restart peace talks with the goal of forming a unity government. Houthi rebels rejected it, however.
At a meeting in Riyadh, Yemen’s Cabinet gave an “initial welcoming to the ideas that came out of the meeting in Jeddah,” which included Kerry, sabanew.net website and AFP said.
Matthew Tueller, US Ambassador to Yemen, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the war in Yemen would end only if warring parties resume peace talks and accept a national unity government that would eventually lead to the withdrawal of militias from the main Yemeni cities and the handover of weapons.
Washington is also upset over the use of Iranian missiles in the conflict. Iran should decide whether it wants to play a constructive role in the region, or to continue to stimulate tension and chaos, said the ambassador.
“Iran did not help in Yemen. We are very displeased with the use of Iranian missiles, which are positioned close to the Saudi borders,” said Tueller.
The US is determined to end the conflict through peaceful means, said the ambassador. He ruled out a military solution in Yemen,
He said that Russia, which is in the G18 group, also supports a peaceful solution in Yemen. 
“We have not seen any signs of Russia military intervention in Yemen,” Tueller said.
Kerry earlier announced a fresh international peace initiative to resolve the conflict after meeting with Gulf counterparts, a British minister and the UN envoy to Yemen.
The Yemen government’s first official response to Kerry’s roadmap was announced by Foreign Minister Abdul-Malik Al-Mekhlafi.
He said that the Gulf-US-British meeting in Jeddah carried a strong message to Houthis revealing that the international community was not keep to see more delays and postponements.
Several news agencies reported that Houthis are not ready to hand over their ballistic missiles, which Kerry said was threatening Saudi Arabia and the US. 
The Houthi position continues to reveal the rebel group’s intransigence.
Yemen’s government suggested in a statement that it is prepared to consider the ideas outlined by Kerry.
It said: “The government is prepared to deal positively with any peaceful solutions ... including an initial welcoming of the ideas resulting from the meeting in Jeddah that included the foreign secretaries of the US,the United Kingdom and Gulf states.”

Source: Arab News