Head of new Yemeni council promises end to war via peace process

(Reuters) – The top of Yemen’s new presidential council mentioned on Friday he would finish the seven-year-long battle by way of a peace course of, in his first speech since energy was delegated to the physique by the Saudi-backed president this week.
“The management council guarantees the individuals to finish the battle and obtain peace by a complete peace course of that ensures the Yemeni individuals all its aspirations,” Rashad Al-Alimi mentioned within the televised speech.
President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who relies in Riyadh, delegated energy to the council and dismissed his deputy on Thursday, as Saudi Arabia strikes to strengthen an anti-Houthi alliance amid U.N.-led efforts to revive peace negotiations.
Alimi, who has shut ties with each Riyadh and main Yemeni bloc the Islamist Islah occasion, mentioned in his speech the council would work to take care of “challenges in all areas of Yemen with out discrimination, with out exception”.
The battle has killed tens of hundreds, devastated the economic system and pushed Yemen to the brink of famine. The battle is broadly seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Iran-aligned Houthis say they’re combating a corrupt system and international aggression.
Riyadh, which has struggled to exit the battle in Yemen, has urged the council to barter with the Houthis below U.N. auspices “for a last and complete resolution”.
There was no speedy Houthi response to Alimi’s speech.
Houthi chief negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam responded to the formation of the council on Thursday by calling the transfer a farce and a “determined try and restructure the ranks of mercenaries to push them in the direction of additional escalation.”
Saudi Arabia introduced $3 billion in monetary help to the Saudi-backed authorities after Hadi’s announcement.
Gulf Cooperation Council ministers have expressed their assist for the council and beginning negotiations with Houthis below U.N. supervision “to achieve a last and complete political resolution.”
Yemen’s warring sides have agreed on a two-month truce that started final Saturday.
(Reporting by Lilian Wagdy; Writing by Tom Perry; enhancing by Grant McCool)