Barran Press
Aidarus al-Zubaidi, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council and head of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), announced on Sunday, July 7, 2024, the formation of a negotiating team by the Presidential council, representing all its constituent parties.
The announcement was made during a phone call between al-Zubaidi and the British Ambassador to Yemen, Abda Sharif, according to the official Yemeni news agency Saba.
During the call, al-Zubaidi expressed the Presidential Leadership Council's readiness for any future negotiations aimed at ending the conflict in Yemen. He stated that the Houthi group, designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, continues to be intransigent and rejects all calls for dialogue.
"The Houthis' intransigence and escalation in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, and on battlefronts in several governorates demonstrate their lack of seriousness in engaging with any peace efforts," al-Zubaidi added.
According to Saba, al-Zubaidi also discussed the latest developments related to the economic situation in Yemen and its impact on the humanitarian situation. He highlighted regional and international efforts to mitigate the consequences of these developments on the lives of citizens in various governorates.
He also addressed the escalating campaigns of repression and violations perpetrated by the Houthis, targeting employees of UN and international organizations in areas under their control.
In this regard, al-Zubaidi emphasized the council's rejection of these crimes committed by the group against humanitarian and relief workers. He called for a firm international stance to force the militias to release abducted employees working for UN agencies and international and local humanitarian organizations.
The British Ambassador, in turn, affirmed her government's support for the Presidential Leadership Council and all efforts to end the conflict and bring peace to Yemen, emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive political process without preconditions.
Last Saturday, July 6, 2024, the ninth round of talks on the issue of prisoners and detainees in the Omani capital Muscat concluded without clear results between the internationally recognized Yemeni government and the Houthi group.
While the government's negotiating team spokesperson on the issue of prisoners and detainees, Majid Fadhail, stated that the consultations, held under UN auspices, achieved some important breakthroughs regarding the issue of detainees and those forcibly disappeared, he accused the Houthi delegation of "derailing any exchange in this round because they do not give weight to prisoners and their families."
In a post on "X" monitored by Barran Press, Fadhail, who is also the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Human Rights, indicated that "a follow-up round will be held within two months, preceded by an exchange of lists of detainees and abductees and convergence on them under the auspices of the UN envoy to Yemen."
In turn, the head of the Houthi negotiating delegation, Abdulqader al-Murtada, stated that the completion of the Muscat consultations came "after agreeing on some points, most importantly resolving the issue of politician Mohammed Qahtan and exchanging some prisoner lists."
Al-Murtada added in a tweet monitored by Barran Press, "Due to time constraints, it was agreed to resume negotiations after two months, with both parties focusing during this period on completing and adopting the lists until the next round."
The exact number of prisoners and detainees held by both sides is currently unknown. However, during consultations in Stockholm in 2018, the government and Houthi delegations presented lists of over 15,000 prisoners and detainees.
Last Wednesday, the delegations of the internationally recognized Yemeni government and the Houthi group, designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, announced understandings in Muscat negotiations for the release of politician Mohammed Qahtan in exchange for 50 Houthi prisoners or 50 bodies if he has died.
The possibilities surrounding the fate of Qahtan, who has been held in Houthi prisons for over nine years, sparked a wave of outrage from Yemenis and politicians, particularly Qahtan's family and the Yemeni Islah party, against the government negotiating team, accusing them of "overstepping the directives of the presidency, which obligated them not to proceed with any agreement before revealing Qahtan's fate."