Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 490B- Yemen War Mosaic 490B

Yemen Press Reader 490B: 12. Dezember 2018, Teil 2: Friedensgespräche in Schweden: Einigung über Gefangenenaustausch, Stocken bei Hodeidah: UN-Vorschlag von beiden Seiten abgelehnt – und mehr

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December 12, 2018, Part 2: Sweden peace talks: Agreement on prisoner swap, deadlock on Hodeidah:UN proposal rejected by both sides – and more

Dieses Jemenkrieg-Mosaik besteht aus zwei Teilen / This Yemen War Mosaic is divided in two parts

Teil 1 / Part 1: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-490-yemen-war-mosaic-490/

Schwerpunkte / Key aspects

(Kursiv: Teil 1 / In Italics: Part 1)

Klassifizierung / Classification

Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics

cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle

cp2 Allgemein / General

cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

cp8a Jamal Khashoggi

cp9 USA

cp11 Deutschland / Germany

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade

cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

cp15 Propaganda

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

Klassifizierung / Classification

***

**

*

(Kein Stern / No star)

? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating

A = Aktuell / Current news

B = Hintergrund / Background

C = Chronik / Chronicle

D = Details

E = Wirtschaft / Economy

H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions

K = Krieg / War

P = Politik / Politics

pH = Pro-Houthi

pS = Pro-Saudi

T = Terrorismus / Terrorism

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

(Oben: Deutsch / On top: German)

(A P)

Abschluss der Jemen-Gespräche mit Guterres

UNO-Generalsekretär Guterres reist zum Abschluss der Jemen-Friedensgespräche nach Schweden.

Wie der UNO-Sondergesandte Griffiths per Twitter mitteilte, wird Guterres am morgigen letzten Tag der Verhandlungen in der Nähe von Stockholm erwartet. Er wolle sich mit den Delegationen beider Konfliktparteien treffen und auf der Abschlusssitzung sprechen.

https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/stockholm-abschluss-der-jemen-gespraeche-mit-guterres.1939.de.html?drn:news_id=955320

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Uno-Generalsekretär zu Jemen-Gesprächen in Schweden erwartet

Antonio Guterres will sich mit den Delegationen der jemenitischen Regierung und der Huthi-Rebellen treffen, um sie zu weiteren Friedensgesprächen zu ermutigen.

Uno-Generalsekretär Antonio Guterres wird für Donnerstag zu den Jemen-Gesprächen in Schweden erwartet, um die Konfliktparteien zur Fortsetzung ihrer Friedensverhandlungen zu ermutigen.

Der Uno-Chef werde sich mit «den beiden Delegationen» treffen und während der abschliessenden Sitzung das Wort ergreifen, hiess es.

Zuvor hatten Regierung und Rebellen ihre Einigung auf einen Austausch von Gefangenen konkretisiert. Vertreter beider Seiten tauschten Listen mit Namen von Gefangenen aus. Insgesamt sollen mehr als 15'000 Gefangene freikommen

https://www.nzz.ch/international/uno-generalsekretaer-zu-jemen-gespraechen-in-schweden-erwartet-ld.1444021

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Keine hohen Erwartungen

Gespräche zwischen jemenitischen Bürgerkriegsparteien in Schweden unter Vermittlung der UNO. »Vertrauensbildende Maßnahmen« das Ziel

Die UNO will zu diesem Zeitpunkt keine zu hohen Erwartungen wecken, stellt grundsätzliche Fragen zurück und strebt zunächst »vertrauensbildende Maßnahmen« an. Als solche gelten ein Gefangenenaustausch, ein Waffenstillstand in der von der Ansarollah beherrschten Hafenstadt Hodeida, über die der größte Teil der Hilfslieferungen läuft, und die Öffnung des internationalen Flughafens der Hauptstadt Sanaa, die ebenfalls von Hadis Gegnern kontrolliert wird.

Am weitesten vorangekommen scheinen die Gespräche über einen Gefangenenaustausch. Von 1.500 »Hu­this« und 2.000 »Hadi-Anhängern«, die vielleicht demnächst entlassen werden könnten, ist die Rede. Praktisch gestaltet sich das aber schwierig. Die Frage nach der Zahl der Gefangenen lassen beide Seiten unbeantwortet. Es könnte deshalb darauf hinauslaufen, dass zunächst schubweise nur jeweils 200 von ihnen ausgetauscht werden.

Einen Waffenstillstand in Hodeida lehnen Hadi und seine ausländischen Verbündeten ab. Sie wollen den Abzug der Ansarollah-Milizen aus der Hafenstadt erzwingen, bei denen letztere ihre schweren Waffen zurücklassen sollen. Auf der Gegenseite würden die »Huthis« einem Waffenstillstand, einer Kontrolle des Hafens durch die UNO und einem beiderseitigen Rückzug aller nicht aus Hodeida stammenden Truppen zustimmen. Von ihrer Delegation wurde eine »neutrale Zone« vorgeschlagen.

Der internationale Flughafen von Sanaa ist aufgrund der Luftangriffe geschlossen. Seine Wiederöffnung würde mehr Möglichkeiten für Hilfslieferungen schaffen. Hadi stellte zwar eine Öffnung in Aussicht, aber nur für Inlandflüge. Diesem Plan zufolge müssten alle Flugzeuge von und nach Sanaa in der südjemenitischen Hafenstadt Aden oder im zentraljemenitischen Seijun landen und dort durchsucht werden. Beide Orte werden von den »Hadi-Anhängern« oder ihren Verbündeten kontrolliert.

Der Leiter der Ansarollah-Delegation bei den Gesprächen in Schloss Johannesberg lehnte diese Idee zunächst als »nicht den internationalen Standards entsprechend« rundweg ab. Am Sonnabend hieß es aber aus Delegationskreisen, dass man über eine obligatorische Zwischenlandung in einer »Stadt der Region«, beispielsweise in der jordanischen Hauptstadt Amman, diskutieren könne.

https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/345127.keine-hohen-erwartungen.html

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Hoffnungsvolle Signale für den Jemen

UN-Vermittler Martin Griffiths hat einen "positiven Geist" ausgemacht - und die Huthi-Rebellen signalisieren weitere Dialogbereitschaft: Die Jemen-Friedensgespräche in Schweden könnten sich auf einem guten Weg befinden.

Dieses Statement wird UN-Vermittler Martin Griffiths gerne gehört haben: Sollten die Beratungen in Schweden Fortschritte etwa bei vertrauensbildenden Maßnahmen oder der Festlegung von Rahmenbedingungen erzielen, sei man zu einer "neuen Gesprächsrunde" in den kommenden Monaten bereit, sagte Huthi-Sprecher Mohammed Abdelsalam. Das war immer das erklärte Ziel des UN-Vermittlers.

Es handele sich nicht um weitreichende Friedensverhandlungen, sondern lediglich um "Beratungen", hat Griffiths immer betont. Diese zielten nach vier Jahren Krieg darauf ab, "Vertrauen aufzubauen". Zudem solle die Gewalt im Jemen eingedämmt werden.

Griffiths hat einen "positiven Geist" in den Beratungen ausgemacht - und diese gelobt.

https://www.dw.com/de/hoffnungsvolle-signale-f%C3%BCr-den-jemen/a-46658873

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Jemen: Einigung in Schweden auf Gefangenaustausch

Die Vertreter der jemenitischen Ansarollah-Bewegung und der UNO-Vertreter für Flüchtlinge, haben sich während der Jemen-Gespräche im Norden der schwedischen Hauptstadt, Stockholm, in der Frage der Gefangenen geeinigt.

Salim Almaghles, ein Mitglied der Ansarollah-Bewegung, bei Jemen-Friedensgesprächen in Schweden sagte am Sonntag in einem Exklusiv-Interview mit dem iranischen Nachrichtensender "Khabar-Netz": Bei den laufenden Friedensgesprächen in Stockholm wurde über verschiedene Streitpunkte, wie etwa Gefangene, Flughäfen, politische Lösungswege, die Wirtschaftslage und den Waffenstillstand gesprochen.

Über die Wiederöffnung des Flughafens Sanaa, Waffenstillstand, Einstellung der Kampfhandlungen in Taiz, Al-Hudaida-Hafen, seien Vorschläge unterbreitet worden.

http://parstoday.com/de/news/world-i44979-jemen_einigung_in_schweden_auf_gefangenaustausch

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Jemen: Huthi-Rebellen zu weiterem Dialog bereit

Die schiitischen Huthi-Rebellen haben bei einem Erfolg der derzeitigen Jemen-Gespräche in Schweden weitere Dialogbereitschaft signalisiert. Sollten die Beratungen Fortschritte etwa bei vertrauensbildenden Maßnahmen oder der Festlegung von Rahmenbedingungen erzielen, seien sie zu einer „neuen Gesprächsrunde“ in den kommenden Monaten bereit, sagte Huthi-Sprecher Mohammed Abdelsalam gestern.

https://orf.at/stories/3103702/ = https://www.derstandard.de/story/2000093541530/huthi-rebellen-bei-fortschritten-zu-weiterer-jemen-runde-bereit

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Yemen: Peace at last?

Peace in Yemen might be a far cry but at no time has it come closer than it is right now over the past 6 years.

It is still too early to believe that peace in Yemen is in sight, but at the same time, one can’t say that there is no end in sight.

Though proposals for a political framework have not been discussed yet, the warring sides have shown a gulf of difference over the UNSC 2216 resolution of 2015 that called for the disarmament of the Houthis and the restoration of Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s presidential legitimacy.

The prospects for peace, though, are promising – but only on one condition: if pressure from both the international community, especially the US, continues, and the warring parties show a deep interest in reaching a political solution.

Outside of bringing the warring parties to meet face to face for the first time in two years—an achievement in and of itself—the UN special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths has succeeded in addressing the shortcomings in preparation, and conduct, of previous talks.

Griffiths established two independent consultative groups (on political and civil affairs) consisting of some of Yemen’s leading women and men politicians who have, and still will, contribute to executing the talks.

The battle isn’t over yet, and all possibilities remain on the table.

Nonetheless, there seems to be a firmer willingness to reach an agreement than in previous talks, as the Yemeni government realises that the international pressure on its backer, Saudi Arabia, is growing.

The Houthis also appear to recognise that Saudia Arabia needs to save some face in the aftermath of Saudi Arabia's global diplomatic isolation after the Khashoggi killing. They can use this to their advantage to extract compromises.

For the talks to succeed, there is another element that needs to run parallel to the negotiations. External players (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, US and UK) need to put diplomacy first and encourage Hadi to hold a national reconciliation drive where Yemen's warring parties can establish a new political roadmap.

Saudi Arabia, UAE and US must realise now after four years of fighting that military means alone will not end this conflict. Saudi and the UAE, in particular, must be on the same page in how they envision a post-war Yemen.

So far, these talks are not under threat of collapsing – by Afrah Nasser

https://www.trtworld.com/opinion/yemen-peace-at-last-22418

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Yemeni official: Warring sides may hold new talks next month

A Yemeni official says the next round of peace talks between the country's warring sides could take place as early as January.

Marwan Damaj, culture minister in Yemen's internationally recognized government, says the venue and the exact timing are still being considered.

https://www.islandpacket.com/news/nation-world/world/article222988040.html

(A P)

Yemen official denies agreements signed during Sweden talks

A member of the Yemeni government delegation participating in consultations with the Houthis in Sweden yesterday denied reaching an agreement with UN envoy, Martin Griffiths on a framework for the peace consultations currently taking place in the Swedish capital Stockholm.

Askar Zuail told the Anadolu Agency that the general framework document circulated by a number of media outlets was incorrect and “very old”.

Zuail said the UN envoy had proposed a general framework document that sets principles for the negotiations, but no agreement has been reached with the government delegation over the document.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20181212-yemen-official-denies-agreements-signed-during-sweden-talks/

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Yemen's warring parties agree to reopen Sanaa airport: sources

Yemen’s warring parties agreed on Wednesday to reopen the airport in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa for domestic flights, one of the confidence-building steps under discussion at U.N.-led peace talks in Sweden, sources familiar with the talks said.

The Iran-aligned Houthi movement and the Saudi-backed government have agreed that international flights would stop at a government-held airport for inspections before flying in or out of Sanaa. They have yet to agree whether those inspections would take place in the airport of Aden or that of Sayun.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-airport/yemens-warring-parties-agree-to-reopen-sanaa-airport-sources-idUSKBN1OB1TH

My comment: This is goos news. But, evidently the Hadi government has made its point.

(* A P)

Yemen's warring parties inch closer to securing deal on Sanaa airport

Yemen's warring parties made tentative steps towards an agreement to reopen the rebel-held Sanaa airport to domestic flights on Wednesday, one day before the scheduled close of UN-brokered talks.

The reopening of the Sanaa airport is one of the main objectives of talks in the rural Swedish town of Rimbo and is widely seen as a crucial step to facilitate the delivery of aid to the rebel-held area.

Reports of progress come hours before UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to arrive in Sweden for Thursday's closing round of consultations.

A Yemeni government official who spoke to The National on the condition of anonymity said that Houthi rebels are coming under international pressure to accept an agreement on the Sanaa airport before Mr Guterres makes an appearance in talks.

https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/yemen-s-warring-parties-inch-closer-to-securing-deal-on-sanaa-airport-1.802101

(A P)

Hisham Al-Omeisy: They warring #Yemen factions in #Sweden are doing more than talking, actually; dining together, mingling, cracking jokes.

https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/1072828537143463936

There are many proposals on the table. Aside from breakthrough in prisoner swap, no solid deal yet on issues such Hodeidah and Sana'a airport. But, atmosphere surprisingly positive given deepened grievances and complicated issues. Having lost much, #Yemen-is clinging to ANY hope.

https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/1072806190491537408

The #Yemen political consultations in #Sweden are nearing end. Delegates wrapping up having made some headway in building towards a peace roadmap that will be largely drawn up by @OSE_Yemen but with input from both parties and a wide range of Yemeni groups and consultants.

https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/1072804897337282560

(* A P)

Yemen's warring parties near end of talks

The status of a strategic Red Sea port, the reopening of Sanaa airport and a transitional governing body are issues at stake in UN-led Yemen peace talks.

Yemen's warring parties are being pressed to agree thorny confidence-building measures, including the status of a strategic Red Sea port, in consultations ahead of the close of the first UN-led peace talks in two years.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is due to attend final talks in Sweden on Thursday to support his envoy's efforts and meet delegates from the Iran-aligned Houthi group and the Saudi-backed government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Ambassadors from countries that are permanent members of the Security Council - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States - joined talks with delegation heads on Tuesday, sources said.

Western nations, some of which supply arms and intelligence to the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015, want an end to nearly four years of war that have killed tens of thousands of people and pushed millions to the brink of famine.

"I hate to see what's going on in Yemen," Trump said. "But it takes two to tango. I'd want to see Iran pull out of Yemen too ... and I think they will."

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/pressure-builds-on-yemens-warring-parties-as-peace-talks-focus-on-port-idUSKBN1OB0G7

My comment: If Iran would be in Yemen, it could pull out. But it isn’t.

(A P)

Secretary-General’s travel to participate in the Intra-Yemeni Consultations in Sweden

The Secretary-General will take part in the closing day of the Intra-Yemeni political consultations, on Thursday, 13 December.

The Secretary-General will hold meetings with the two delegations and will address the closing session of this round of consultations.

https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/note-correspondents/2018-12-11/note-correspondents-secretary-general%E2%80%99s-travel-participate-the-intra-yemeni-consultations-sweden

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UN at Yemen talks pushes for truce to allow aid deliveries

With 24 hours left before the scheduled close of United Nations-brokered talks on Yemen, mediators pushed Wednesday, December 12 for a truce between warring parties as a crucial step to allow aid deliveries.

Mediators are seeking a de-escalation of violence in two flashpoint cities: rebel-held Hodeidah, a port city vital to the supply of humanitarian aid, and Taiz, Yemen’s third largest city, scene of some of the war’s most intense fighting.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was due in Rimbo late Wednesday for Thursday’s closing round of consultations.

Both government and rebel representatives traded accusations of unwillingness to negotiate, particularly on rebel-held Hodeidah, the main route for 90 percent of food imports and nearly 80 percent of aid deliveries.

Multiple draft proposals have been submitted to the two delegations over the past week. None have found consensus as yet.

“I think there is some progress, even if it’s with much difficulty. It’s slow progress,” rebel representative Abdelmalik al-Ajri told AFP. “We are faced with the intransigence of the other side.

https://thedefensepost.com/2018/12/12/un-yemen-talks-truce-aid-deliveries/

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Film: Is a political solution possible to end the war in Yemen?

Will the latest negotiations help end the brutal war?

Guests: Najeeb Ghanem, Yemen's former health minister; Hussain Albukhaiti, Pro-Houthi journalist; Dave Harden, Managing director of the Georgetown Strategy Group; Baraa Shiban, Yemeni human rights activist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-KMLe7idNw

(B K P)

Ansarullah: Some Parts of Yemen under Occupation of UK, Saudi Arabia, UAE

Yemen's popular Ansarullah movement spokesman and chief negotiator Mohammed Abdul-Salam strongly blasted the presence of foreign troops in his country, and said Britain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have occupied several parts of Yemen.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970921000560

(* B K P)

Studies Center: Sweden consultation station will be followed with fierce round of violence

Abaad studies Center expecting a partial failure of Sweden's consultations to achieve a peace plan acceptable to all warring parties in Yemen.

The center said "This expectation comes despite progress in confidence-building measures through the file of prisoners and detainees, with the possibility of a second round," possibly in Kuwait, ", stressing that the road to peace is still long and difficult as the presence of new parties to the war did not exist in March 2015.

The center said that there is a willingness in three military zones with the front of Nehm around the capital to move towards Arhab direction and effective control of Sanaa Airport if consultations fail, and the situation may explode militarily in Hodeidah, which if international pressure to spare it the war will remain a drain front along 70 km.

"Griffith's strategy, which is based on the slogan of “a step to follow”, is an unclear and time-consuming step, with the possibility of one of the waring parties to use the negotiations to fulfill unreasonable demands," it said.

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/162013

(B P)

Intel: How Yemen talks may deepen US-EU divide over Iran

The United States and the European Union are publicly at odds over whether Iran can play a constructive role in Yemen peace talks, further splitting the two allies regarding how best to deal with Tehran.

The Donald Trump administration had asked the UN to reject Iran’s request to have a senior Foreign Ministry official attend this week’s talks in Sweden

On Monday, that same official — Hossein Jaberi Ansari — addressed the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, which subsequently praised Iran’s endorsement of the peace talks under the auspices of UN envoy Martin Griffiths.

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/12/intel-yemen-talks-deepen-eu-us-divide-iran-mogherini.html

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For Yemen peace talks to succeed, first the fighting must halt

As long as the Saudi-led coalition gets the support of its strongest Western ally, the conflict will continue escalating

Muhammad Al-Bakhiti, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau, expressed doubt, telling MEE that the government in exile was not in control of the agenda: "The mechanisms adopted by the UN are wrong because it forces us to negotiate with a party that does not have the decision in its hand." Al-Bakhiti stressed that the government of President Abd Rabbou Mansour Hadi has vested interest in the continuation of the war.

Saleh al-Humaidi, the undersecretary of the ministry of information in Hadi’s government, told MEE that he believed the talks were "heading towards ambiguity and further complication". Issues that have been dealt with at the talks, such as prisoners, the port and the airport, are not the most critical, he said, noting that one of the key issues should be getting the Houthis to surrender their weapons and implement UN resolution 2216.

Such pessimism suggests that both parties might not have gone voluntarily to these talks. Rather, it seems as though the major players (Saudi Arabia, Iran and the US) pushed them behind the scenes to attend.

Is there an end in sight?

Arguably, this is not currently up to the warring parties. The major external players in the conflict have wrought havoc throughout Yemen; if they do not take a step back and leave the decision to Yemenis, it will be difficult to imagine the war ending anytime soon.

History will not be kind to those who are pursuing their vested political agendas at the expense of the vast majority of Yemenis. If the US were to terminate its support for the Saudi-led coalition, this would mark a significant step towards ending Yemen’s catastrophe. As long as the coalition gets the support of its strongest Western ally, the conflict will continue escalating.

What is at stake is the future of Yemen and its people. They are the ones who should decide their own path forward. Their strength lies in their unity.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/will-yemen-peace-talks-lead-anywhere-1014383659

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Mohamed Abdulsalam: We Did not Get Real Support for Peace Talks

The Head of the National Delegation, Mohamed Abdulsalam, said that "the delegation has not yet reached the certain support for peace in Yemen," pointing to the continuation of discussion on the political solution. "The national delegation was ready to achieve deasl to minimize the suffering of the Yemeni People," Abdul Salam said in an interview with Almasirah TV.

On the reports of the United Nations proposals about Hodeidah's situation, the Abdulsalam explained that "the other party is one continuing and escalating it military aggression on Hodeidah and should be aware of its humanitarian situation." He also stressed that "the presence of foreign forces in Yemen is contrary to the Yemeni constitution and the resolutions of the Security Council. There is no excuse for the presence of foreign troops in Yemen as long as we are heading for a political solution." He said that "the occupied territories are subject to external control such as Britain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, not for so-called legitimacy."

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4303&cat_id=1

Remark: “National Delegation”: Houthi delegation.

(A P)

Deputy of National Delegation: Consultations Should be Concluded with General Political Framework

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4301&cat_id=1

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The road to Uppsala: Opportunity and urgency in Yemen

In this context, it is unsurprising that only confidence-building measures – rather than a comprehensive accord – are up for discussion in Sweden.

The placid calm of Johannesbergs Slott, the venue in which the talks are being held, could scarcely be more different from the situation in Yemen.

In one sense, the key to peace lies not in simply conducting another round of talks but in using them to set in motion a broader process. Since the collapse of the discussions in Kuwait, major channels of communication between the internationally recognised government and the Houthis all but vanished. Thus, it is crucial to secure and build on any progress the parties make in Sweden. This is particularly true in light of the fact that, across Yemen, fighters are poised to escalate the violence

Even if the talks currently centre on relatively narrow issues, the process must eventually include people from across Yemen’s diverse society if there is to be lasting peace. Moreover, the discussions’ international sponsors will have to coordinate their work with one another.

https://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_the_road_to_uppsala_opportunity_and_urgency_in_yemen

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U.N. proposes Yemen's warring parties pull out of key port: sources

The United Nations proposed at initial talks between Yemen’s warring parties on Tuesday that they withdraw from the contested port city of Hodeidah, a lifeline for millions facing famine, and place it under the control of an interim entity.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Khalid al Yamani, who is also the head of the internationally-recognized government’s delegation to the peace talks, said on Monday Hodeidah should be placed under interior ministry control as a matter of sovereignty.

Ambassadors of the five permanent member states of the U.N. Security Council are present at the talks and were pressing the parties to agree to the Hodeidah proposal, the sources said.

Griffiths wants agreement on confidence-building measures and a transitional governing body to pave the way for political negotiations to end the conflict.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-prisoners/u-n-proposes-yemens-warring-parties-pull-out-of-key-port-sources-idUSKBN1OA0ZQ

Remark: This is the newest report on the Hodeidah question, but it seems there is no real news (see below).

My comment: Why the Hadi government rejects this plan? They clearls tell it: “as a matter of sovereignty”. The hadi government’s only goal is keeping or getting full “sovereignty” over the whole of Yemen. Humanitarian questions do not matter, compared to this.

(** A P)

The Latest: Yemen’s warring sides set date for prisoner swap

Rebel: Yemen’s warring sides set Jan. 20 for prisoner swap

Delegations from Yemen’s warring parties agreed on Tuesday to set Jan. 20 as a final date to swap over 15,000 prisoners from both sides of the country’s devastating civil war, according to a member of the rebel delegation, in what may possibly become the first major breakthrough leading to peace negotiations to end the four-year war.

The internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and Iran-backed Shiite rebels said in press conferences in Sweden that they have exchanged prisoner lists, allowing four weeks for review, ahead of a final swap to be facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The move is a crucial step in the implementation of an agreement reached earlier this month on the exchange of all prisoners held by both sides over the four-year civil war.

The government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition, said it has provided U.N. mediators with an initial list of 8,200 prisoners allegedly held by the rebels, known as Houthis.

The government list included members of the family of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was killed by the Houthis in December of last year. It also included more than 300 children and 88 women.

The rebel delegation also said it has provided its own list of prisoners held by government forces.

“The Houthis provided a list of 7,487 captives and detainees. We provided a (list) of 8,576 detainees,” said Askar Zouail of the government delegation. “But the number of detainees (held by the rebels) exceeds 18,000 detainees since the beginning of the war (in March 2015).”

https://apnews.com/081d7a0d1a744884847c27d426934fef

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Yemeni prisoner swap will take weeks, Red Cross says

A prisoner swap in Yemen will take weeks and may involve the repatriation of third country nationals captured in the nearly four-year war, a senior official of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Tuesday.

The release and transfer would be managed by the U.N. and ICRC, an independent aid agency which said last week that an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 detainees could be exchanged.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-redcross/yemeni-prisoner-swap-will-take-weeks-red-cross-says-idUSKBN1OA1KW

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Yemen's warring parties exchange prisoner lists, talks focus on Hodeidah

Yemen’s Houthi movement and the Saudi-backed government on Tuesday exchanged lists of some 15,000 prisoners for a swap agreed as a confidence-building measure at the start of U.N.-sponsored peace talks.

Both parties at the consultations in Sweden, set to last until Dec. 13, have yet to settle major sticking points, including a ceasefire in the port of Hodeidah, reopening of Sanaa airport and shoring up of the central bank.

Delegates said the prisoner swap would be conducted via Houthi-held Sanaa airport in north Yemen and government-held Sayun airport in the south - a process overseen by the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

“We have exchanged more than 7,000 names from each side, including some 200 high-ranking officers,” said Ghaleb Mutlaq, a delegate for the Iran-aligned Houthis.

Hadi’s foreign minister tweeted that the government had submitted a list of 8,576 prisoners, including activists and journalists.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-prisoners/yemens-warring-parties-exchange-prisoner-lists-talks-focus-on-hodeidah-idUSKBN1OA0ZQ

and also https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-6483277/Yemen-govt-rebels-swap-names-15-000-prisoners-UN-talks.html

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/12/sealed-kiss-yemen-rivals-agree-swap-16000-prisoners-181211115436151.html

https://www.france24.com/en/20181211-yemen-government-rebels-name-thousands-prisoners-swap-peace-talks-sweden

Comment by Hisham Al-Omeisy: Utterly heartbreaking listening to an elderly woman called me from Sana'a, "Is my son's name on list of prisoner swap, please, I have but one necklace of gold and will send it if you can get his name on list." Her son, an activist, was taken by Houthis last year.

His name is on the list. So are hundreds of extrajudicially detained, forcibly disappeared, and forced into confessing crimes never committed for merely daring voice dissent and calling out corruption. Ugly truth of upcoming prisoner swap is also being largely hostage swap

But you need to understand something, it does not matter to families and friends as long as their loved ones are finally freed. Also, what matters most, are guarantees of safety and freedom AFTER release, which sadly do not currently exist

I can tell you from personal experience, worst part after my release was fear of being thrown back in that wretched solitary cell. Kept me up at night, and flinched every time someone knocked on door. Possibility of hunt down or killed by a trigger happy militia was high

I still remember many friends a family warning me against making any public OR private comments as I was certainly being watched, and many repeating, "you've been sprung from a small prison to a bigger one (i.e #Yemen), so keep a low profile for your sake and that of your kids".

Just to wrap this up, prisoner/hostage swap is still a good thing, but we're far from freedom from prosecution in #Yemen. As a matter of fact, while preparing lists of those seeking to free in upcoming weeks, many others have been taken and forcibly disappeared in past few days.

https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/1072653583466856450

The list includes the kidnapped, extrajudicially detained, forcibly disappeared, and others; i.e academics, journalists, women. Where condition of some unknown, will inevitably know by swap day near Jan 20th. Praying everyone still alive.

https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/1072832253317840896

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Facebook account: Yemen Peace Consultations Newsroom

Films, statements (in Arabic)

https://www.facebook.com/Yemen-Peace-Consultations-Newsroom-YPCN-Stockholm-Sweden-2321458891409012/

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Film: Day 5: Yemen Peace Talks, interview with Jamila Raja

https://twitter.com/Afrahnasser/status/1072089949833494529

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Elisabeth Kendall: Not much from 5 days of #Yemen talks in #Sweden. But they haven't collapsed (a real achievement), prisoner swap agreed & hopes remain. Urgent issues proving elusive: #Hodeidah ceasefire, opening Sana'a airport, reuniting Central Bank etc. Hopes pinned on roadmap for future rounds

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1072197056868089857

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U.N. envoy says Yemen's warring parties 'not there yet' on main issues

U.N. special envoy Martin Griffiths said on Monday Yemen’s warring parties had yet to agree on main sticking points in peace talks, including a ceasefire in Hodeidah and reopening Sanaa airport, but that consultations would continue.

“I’m hopeful that we can reach an agreement on de-escalation to reduce fighting in (Hodeidah and Taiz). I am hoping that we can, we are not there yet,” he told reporters.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/u-n-envoy-says-yemens-warring-parties-not-there-yet-on-main-issues-idUSKBN1O91N2

and

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U.N. envoy hopes Yemen factions agree on further talks early next year

The United Nations special envoy to Yemen said on Monday he hopes there will be an agreement by the warring factions to hold another round of talks early next year.

There will be a detailed plan for those talks, and the next round will discuss security arrangements, Martin Griffiths said

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-khashoggi-turkey-extradition/saudi-foreign-minister-rules-out-extraditing-suspects-in-khashoggi-case-idUSKBN1O80NW

and

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UN envoy: Hodeidah file is the most difficult

Hodeidah file is the hardest in the peace talks in Sweden, UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths told a press conference in the Swedish capital of Stockholm where consultations are held on Monday.

"The Hudaydah case is a fulcrum in the crisis and I will meet with the Yemeni parties to discuss the Hodeidah and Taiz issues with the aim of easing the fighting while strengthening humanitarian assistance and demining," Griffiths said.

He added "It is wrong to say that we have not progressed, we have not yet completed the finish line, but we hope to pass it over the next two days, the numbers that will be released from prisoners and detainees held by the parties to the conflict will be announced in the coming weeks," .

"If we can make progress in Hodeidah and Taiz, and we are able to help their people, there will be a major shift in resolving Yemen's crisis," he said.

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161988

and

(A P)

Cautious optimism by @OSE_Yemen in press conference a minute ago. What some may have missed is major milestones in terms of open discussions regarding opening ports, reviving and stabilizing economy, and most of all, the will to de escalate and continue on political path.

https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/1072161918771707907

and press conference in film: https://www.facebook.com/Yemen-Peace-Consultations-Newsroom-YPCN-Stockholm-Sweden-2321458891409012/ = https://www.facebook.com/2321458891409012/videos/275673753131525/ (7 min)

https://www.facebook.com/2321458891409012/videos/542065569591419 = https://www.facebook.com/2321458891409012/videos/542065569591419/ (17 min)

audio: https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/12/1028161

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National [Houthi] Delegation Head: Draft Preliminary Agreement of Current Consultations than Talk About Second Round

The head of the National Delegation, Mohammed Abdulsalam, said on Monday that peace consultations are going well and better than before. "We believe that debate should be brought to a level where agreements are being put forward," Abdulsalam said in a news conference.
He pointed out that the consultations had only three to four days left, adding, "If we go without nothing, it means that this round failed, but if we come up with a draft agreement in principle. The general framework for confidence-building measures, such as the opening of Sana'a Airport, the release of prisoners and detainees and the neutralization of the Central Bank or the processing of treatments in this aspect. In addition to the calm, whether in Hodeidah or any other province, this would be a good step to hold a second round of consultations after a month or two."

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4282&cat_id=1

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Yemen's warring factions find common ground in a foreign land

In a castle in rural Sweden, Houthi rebels and Yemeni officials sleep under one roof

Far from the battlefields of Yemen, the hallways and common rooms of a Swedish castle have been hosting surprisingly cordial interactions between representatives from opposing sides of a bitter civil war.

The negotiations at Johannesberg castle in the town of Rimbo are the first time Yemen government representatives and Houthi rebel leaders have officially met face-to-face since previous peace talks collapsed in 2016.

And while the formal peace talks are yet to produce a breakthrough since the United Nations brokered negotiations began on Thursday, on the sidelines delegates from both sides have been mixing freely.

Thrown together in an isolated rural town in a foreign land with little access to the outside world, Yemeni leaders whose men may have been fighting each other for over three years have had no issue in finding common ground.

Whether crossing paths in the hallway, dining together, or sharing a prayer room, the delegates have maintained a friendly demeanour throughout.

“Whenever Yemenis meet they will always greet each other and will engage in conversation, no matter the circumstance,” Rana Ghanem, a member of the government delegation told The National.

https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/yemen-s-warring-factions-find-common-ground-in-a-foreign-land-1.801275

and

(A P)

Houthi delegate in #Sweden political consults: "Brotherly meets are held..we live and dine in one place, which has helped in removing barriers between us." I love this. There's hope for reconciliation. We just need to remember we're all human striving for greater good.

https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/1072165247300091904

(A P)

Taiz Governor: Lifting City Blockade Tests Houthi Intentions for Peace

Yemeni Governor of Taiz, Dr. Amin Ahmed Mahmoud, urged on Monday the UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths to end the suffering of people besieged by Houthi militias and to press the Iran-backed group to withdraw from the province.
Mahmoud also demanded Taiz, a city in southwestern Yemen located near the port city of Mocha on the Red Sea, tops the list of issues discussed at the ongoing UN-mediated peace talks for Yemen.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1500011/taiz-governor-lifting-city-blockade-tests-houthi-intentions-peace

My comment: Agreed. Let’s do it for the whole of Yemen and lift Saudi blockade of the whole of northern Yemen, to test Saudi coalition intentions for peace.

(A P)

Arab coalition renews its support for the efforts of the UN special envoy to Yemen

The Arab coalition fighting to restore the legitimate government in Yemen on Monday renewed its support for the efforts of UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and said it is working hard to ensure the peace negotiations inSweden are successful.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1418531/saudi-arabia

My comment: This is propaganda, as they reject Griffiths’ Hodeidah plan (see below).

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Int’ official threatens with Security Council if the consultations failed

An official in Sweden consultations threatened that if the current round of consultations failed, will go to the Security Council the party disclosed obstructive party.

The official who quoted by the «newsroom» in Sweden consultations said that the 14thof December will be the end day of the consultations if the United Nations was forced to continue consultations it will be somewhere other than Sweden.

He added that the second round of consultations will be held in the second half or the next January, and it might be hosted by Kuwait.

There is a strong contradiction in views between the parties about certain issues, and that they both allegedly leading Yemen.

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161968

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Yemen war rivals say prisoner swap deal clinched

A mass prisoner swap between Yemeni rebels and the government, a key issue at UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden, has been finalised, both sides said Monday.

Brokered by UN special envoy Martin Griffiths earlier this month, it is one of the main points at talks between the government and Huthi rebels in Sweden this week.

Haid Haig, head of the governmental delegation tasked with the swap, told AFP the deal would be fully implemented by the end of January.

"We agreed ... the deal would be complete within 48 days," Haig said. Asked when he expected the exchange to be complete, he replied: "In theory, in January."

Haig said the list of names should be "mutually handed over by end of day today."

An advisor to the Huthi rebels in Sweden confirmed the list of names would be completed by Monday.

"There might be an announcement of dates," he told AFP on condition of anonymity.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-6479961/Yemen-war-rivals-say-prisoner-swap-deal-clinched.html

and also https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-peace-talks-prisoner-swap-underway-1294678636

Remark: With regard to prisoner exchange it is important to know that most of those in Houthi custody were not POW but rather activists, politicians, journalists. 1000s of them who are basically civilians snatched from their homes or at checkpoints by Houthis

https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1072198636765888512

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Yemen's foreign minister says does not accept U.N. peacekeeping mission in Hodeidah port city

Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah should come under the control of the Saudi-backed government, Yemen’s foreign minister told Reuters on Monday, adding that his government is only willing to accept a role for the United Nations in overseeing the harbour.

Khalid al Yamani, who is also the head of the internationally recognized government’s delegation to the peace talks in Sweden with the Houthis, said they are willing to accept that the Hodeidah port’s revenues stay in the city’s branch of the central bank.

https://www.reuters.com/article/yemen-security/yemens-foreign-minister-says-does-not-accept-u-n-peacekeeping-mission-in-hodeidah-port-city-idUSB2N1Y301K

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Yemen's Saudi-backed government rejects U.N. troops in Hodeidah city

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government is willing to accept a U.N. role in Hodeidah’s seaport, a lifeline for millions of people during the country’s war, but not a long-term presence in the city itself, Foreign Minister Khalid al Yamani said on Monday.

Mediator Martin Griffiths, who opened United Nations-sponsored peace talks between Yemen’s warring parties in Sweden last week, wants to avert a full-scale assault on the Red Sea city.

Yamani told Reuters that Hodeidah, which is currently held by the Iranian-aligned Houthi group, should come under the control of his government.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/yemens-saudi-backed-government-rejects-u-n-troops-in-hodeidah-city-idUSKBN1O91N2

also: https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/yemeni-government-not-ready-to-accept-un-hodeidah-ceasefire-1.801263

My comment: Why the Houthis should accept this? The Hadi government tries to misuse the Sweden talks to receive a military advance.

And

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Yemen's Saudi-backed government rejects UN troops in Hodeida

Control of Hodeidah, the Houthis' main supply line, is one of the trickiest issues at the talks in Sweden, aimed at paving the way for a political process to end nearly four years of war.

The Houthis told Reuters they want Hodeida to be declared a neutral zone.

Yamani rejected this idea. "The concept of peacekeeping or some sort of permanent presence of the UN – boots on the ground – or making the city as neutral is something that we will never accept," he said on the sidelines of the talks.

Yamani, who heads the Hadi government delegation, said the city should be placed under the control of the interior ministry's police forces as a matter of sovereignty.

However, the government is willing to accept the deployment of monitors from the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) in the port, the entry point for most of Yemen's commercial goods and aid supplies.

It could also accept the transfer of port revenues to the central bank in Hodeidah instead of routing them to Aden, the Hadi government's temporary base, the minister said.

https://www.france24.com/en/20181210-yemen-saudi-backed-government-rejects-un-troops-hodeida-houthis-khashoggi

My comment: It’s evident: The Hadi government is not interested in peace, is not interested in Hodeidah harbour working to feed and supply the hinterland, it is only interested in gaining control, being accepted as “legitimate” government all over Yemen. And that’s it. This is this “government’s” only goal.

(** A P)

Yemen government and Houthis remain deadlocked over Hodeidah

Yemeni officials demand Red Sea port be placed under their control, while UN proposes 16-point plan for flashpoint city

Yemen's warring sides remain deadlocked over the future of Hodeidah port, a major lifeline for the country, after the Yemeni government reiterated its demand that it should take control of the facility.

Speaking to reporters on day five of UN-sponsored peace talks in Sweden, Ali Ashall, a Yemeni official and member of the government's delegation, said it wants the management of the port to be placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport.

"The police in the city must also be placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Interior," Ashall said.

"We are looking to resume the situation in the city before the Houthi takeover in 2014".

"We call on the Houthis to withdraw from Hodeidah and hand over their weapons to the government", Ashall added.

The Houthis have said they are prepared to hand over the port to the United Nations, but only if the Saudi-UAE coalition stops its air strikes.

Earlier on Monday, a document seen by Al Jazeera proposed that the Houthis withdraw from Hodeidah as part of a ceasefire deal.

Comprising 16 points, the UN-proposed document said that once the Houthis had withdrawn from the city, including the ports of Saleef and Ras Isa, the Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Shia movement would cease its military operations.

It said that the UN would then deploy a number of observers to monitor the facility but security of the port would be limited to Yemeni coast guard

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/12/yemen-government-houthis-remain-deadlocked-hodeidah-181210133212553.html

also https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/10/yemen-peace-talks-un-says-hodeidah-should-be-under-joint-control

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Yemen's warring sides negotiating truce for key port Hodeida

Delegations from Yemen's warring sides discussed expanding a shaky truce in the key port city of Hodeida on Monday, however neither side appeared ready to agree on initial draft proposals hoped for by the United Nations, who are sponsoring talks in Sweden and seek to resume needed aid deliveries by sea.

One draft document obtained by The Associated Press showed an initial 16-point proposal to stop all fighting and have all troops withdraw to the city limits and later outside the province while allowing U.N. oversight and setting up a local, pre-war administration. Representatives from both sides mentioned only preliminary proposals that were not accepted.

As always, in any round of talks, ideas are brought forward, and they could be preliminary, they could have just been thrown out on the table," said Ali Hussein Ashal from the government delegation. "And a lot of the ideas which have been brought forward previously, in other rounds of talks, the Houthis have refused many of them."

Earlier rebel delegation member Gamal Amer said that his side had rejected a proposal, although it was unclear if it was the same one or if multiple drafts existed. He says only that the rebels had submitted "substantive observations" about it. Also Monday, a similar draft document circulated outlining a gradual drawdown of the conflict in the central city of Taiz.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-6479623/Yemens-warring-sides-negotiating-truce-key-port-Hodeida.html

and also https://www.forces.net/news/world/yemen-truce-discussions-continue-between-warring-parties

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UN proposes new plan for settling Yemeni crisis

Martin Griffiths, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Yemen, has proposed two plans to stop war in Taiz, northwestern Yemen and Al Hudaydah Port, west of the country.

The Qatari media ' Al Jazeera' on Monday said it has obtained the draft copy of the two plans.
The UN envoy's plan consists of reopening crossings and airports based on the 2016 agreements in Dhahran, Al Jazeera reported.
The plan also emphasizes setting up a workgroup, including warring parties, with the attendance of the UN as observer.
According to the Qatari media, the plan comprises of all-out stop of military operations such as air, drone and missile attacks.
The plan also emphasizes setting up security-military committee with the attendance of warring parties and the UN as observer.

http://www.irna.ir/en/News/83129031

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Yemen: talks in Sweden focus on ceasefire in Hudaydah

The fifth day of inter-Yemeni UN-mediated peace talks are underway in Sweden between Houthi rebels and pro-government forces backed by Saudi Arabia, where discussions are currently focusing on a ceasefire in the port city of Hudaydah on the Red Sea.

Sources said the atmosphere at the talks, which will continue through Thursday, is "constructive", and that the delegations are "seriously" committed to finding compromises.
On Monday morning, UN envoy Martin Griffiths presented a proposal to reach a ceasefire in Hudaydah

Another topic on the table for discussion Monday is the southern city of Taiz, controlled by pro-government forces but under attack by the Houthis

http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/politics/2018/12/10/yemen-talks-in-sweden-focus-on-ceasefire-in-hudaydah_c5b09471-9691-4f5b-b62c-45c98aa18262.html

(** A P)

UN proposes Yemen’s Houthis leave Hodeidah, place city under joint control

The United Nations has proposed Yemen’s Houthi rebels withdraw from Hodeida as part of a ceasefire deal placing the flashpoint port city under joint control, according to a document seen by AFP on Monday, December 10.

The document, verified by two sources in a Yemeni government delegation at U.N.-brokered talks in Sweden, stipulates that the Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Houthis cease all operations in the rebel-held city in exchange for a Houthi withdrawal.

The area would then be put under the control of a joint committee and supervised by the United Nations.

U.N. Special Envoy Mark Griffiths said the U.N. was willing to step in in Hodeidah, an offer the coalition has rejected unless the rebels withdraw completely from Yemen’s western coastline.

Griffiths previously said the Houthis had agreed to the U.N. taking a leading role in running Hodeidah.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-6479091/UN-proposes-Yemen-rebels-withdraw-Hodeida-joint-control-govt.html = https://thedefensepost.com/2018/12/10/yemen-un-proposes-houthis-leave-hodeidah/

and

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« Griffith vision » for Hodeidah.. cessation of hostilities, withdrawal and return to 2014

UN Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths provided his proposal on the city and port of Hodeidah which consists of 13 items centered around cessation of hostilities in Hodeidah city, handing the ports ofHdeidah and Al-Saleef , and the withdrawal of armed parties off the city.

The plan suggests a comprehensive cessation of military operations in the city, including air strikes and missiles and the withdrawal of all units and militias out of the city and its port and Al-Saleef port and “Rass Isa”.

It also stressed the halt of any new reinforcements.

Griffiths stressed on the simultaneous withdrawal of all the units and militias and military groups outside the city and its ports. And the formation of a unified military and Security Committee and agreed by the parties with the participation of the United Nations to oversee the implementation of the security arrangements. And ending any armed manifestations in the harbour».

The security responsibility of the port area was confined to the coast guard and installation security forces with their management assigned by September 2014, and the withdrawal of all other military and security formations from the port area.

The plan called Houthi to deliver mine maps for the city and ports.

According to Griffith plan all port revenues transferred to the Central Bank of Yemen through its branches in Hodeidah city, to help pay the salaries of civil servants and that the port management will be assigned to persons appointed by September 2014, this applies to customs.

The United Nations will provide guarantees necessary for parties to facilitate this agreement.

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161974

Comment: Bold, intricately detailed, and logical plan put forth by @OSE_Yemen to resolve issue of control over Hodeidah's three ports. Includes pullback of military/militia units, neutralizing Hodeidah city, joint committees, UNVIM monitors, and port remittances to CBY. Promising.

https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/1072069688451043329

full document, Arabic: https://twitter.com/mohammedalqadhi/status/1072069049876705281

Mohammed al-Qadhi in TV report a few days before: https://twitter.com/mohammedalqadhi/status/1072100739290460160

(* A P)

UN eyes 2019 Yemen peace talks

Another round of talks on the Yemen conflict will likely take place in the coming months, sources said Sunday, as warring parties met for UN-sponsored talks in Sweden.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-6477009/UN-eyes-2019-Yemen-peace-talks.html

http://www.atimes.com/article/united-nations-expects-yemen-peace-negotiations-in-2019/

(A P)

UN: Next round of Yemen talks will tackle political solution

Yemeni government delegate tells The National his team is willing to discuss a Houthi role in Cabinet if rebels agree to surrender arms

The UN said future talks between Houthi rebels and Yemen's government will try to find a political solution to the conflict, as a government delegate said his team was willing to discuss rebel participation in the Cabinet if the insurgents gave up their guns.

https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/un-next-round-of-yemen-talks-will-tackle-political-solution-1.801085

My comment: This proposal will be unacceptable. The Houthis disarming would mean a political suicide.

(A P)

Yemen: Progress in Talks on Detainees

A high-ranking Yemeni source expected in remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat for discussions on the issue of detainees to lead to a breakthrough in talks on Taiz and Yemen’s airports.
The source said that such discussions could pave way for another round of consultations that would end up with an agreement on a comprehensive solution for Yemen.
However, the source ruled out such a deal during the current round of consultations in Rimbo.
Other sources said that Griffiths handed over to the legitimate government delegation two documents – one on lifting the siege on Taiz and the second on the port city of Hodeidah.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1498331/yemen-progress-talks-detainees

(A P)

Commission on prisoners in Sweden discussing a plan of 5 articles

A plan of 5 articles for exchanging prisoners has been made by the Commission on prisoners and detainees in Sweden Sunday.

The plan includes five articles, according to Hadi Haig delegate of Yemeni Government to the consultations and the Chairman of the Commission on prisoners and detainees Gov’ side.

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161951

(A P)

The Abductees’ Mothers Association would like to extend its thanks for your efforts exerted in favor of reaching peace in Yemen (document)

https://twitter.com/abducteesmother/status/1071453332529668096

(A P)

National Delegation Meets Ambassadors of Member States of Security Council

The head of the Negotiating Delegation to Sweden's consultations, Mohammed Abdulsalam, said Sunday that the National Delegation met with the ambassadors of the member states of the Security Council and demanded the real pressure on the other party, in reference to the alliance of aggression, to engage in serious political dialogue.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4259&cat_id=1

Remark: Houthi delegation.

(A P)

Griffith: positive spirit demonstrated by the parties in Sweden

In a statement published on the website of the electronic library, « the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the United Nations to Yemen praised the positive spirit shown by the parties in Sweden consultation».

He added: "both parties serious and constructive manner in discussing details of the confidence-building measures, reduce violence and negotiation».

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161940

(* A P)

Yemen warring parties hold first direct meeting of Sweden peace talks

Yemen’s warring parties held the first direct talks in U.N.-led peace efforts in Sweden on Sunday to iron out a prisoner swap, one of several confidence-building measures intended to help launch a political process to end nearly four years of conflict.

“We have three or four days. If we end up without any agreement then this round has failed,” the Houthi’s main negotiator Mohammed Abdusalam told reporters.

“But if we have a draft on some general framework, the reopening of Sanaa airport, the prisoners release, keeping the central bank neutral and a de-escalation in Hodeidah ... then this will be a good step to hold another round in one or two months.”

[with overview]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/yemen-warring-parties-hold-first-direct-meeting-of-sweden-peace-talks-idUSKBN1O80HV?rpc=401&

also: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/12/yemen-warring-sides-meet-face-face-sweden-peace-talks-181209123459715.html

by Emirati media: https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/yemen-s-warring-parties-meet-for-first-direct-talks-since-2016-1.800758

and

(* A P)

Yemen’s warring factions hold first direct talks in Sweden

Representatives of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and Houthi rebels held their first face-to-face talks in Rimbo, Sweden, as the UN announced it was seeking $4 billion to provide humanitarian aid to the war-stricken nation.

A first step towards trying to resolve the Yemen conflict was reached on the fifth day of talks in Sweden, when Houthi and Yemeni government representatives held direct talks over a planned prisoner exchange. Negotiations over a prisoner swap between the two warring sides are one of several confidence-building measures aimed at trying to end the devastating war in the world’s poorest Arab nation.

"This is an opportunity which is rare,” UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths told reporters in Sweden Monday. “It's been two-and-half years and that time is now finished and I hope we are on the beginning of a new journey."

“It was the first official update from UN envoy Martin Griffiths,” explained FRANCE 24’s Luke Shrago, reporting from Rimbo. “He gave us a rundown moving forward of the Yemeni peace process. There was great optimism over the fact that both sides are working together, with the hope that this could well be the first round of many such consultations.” (with film)

https://www.france24.com/en/20181211-yemen-warring-factions-houthi-direct-talks-sweden

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Yemen warring parties talk peace in Sweden as food shipments reportedly cleared

Yemen's warring parties have held the first direct talks in UN-led peace efforts to iron out a prisoner swap, one of several confidence-building measures intended to help launch a political process to end nearly four years of conflict.

Mediator Martin Griffiths opened the new round on Sunday and due to last until December 13 by announcing a deal to release thousands of prisoners. The sides are meeting in a renovated castle outside Stockholm to discuss implementation of the deal.

The team from Hadi's government initially refused to enter the room, saying the Houthis needed to include more senior delegates, but the meeting went ahead, delegates said.

"We are very optimistic about having a breakthrough on the prisoners issue ... we have exchanged some lists in the past but each side needs to update them," said Askar Ahmed Zayl, a delegate from Hadi's government.

The parties have yet to agree on trickier issues such as re-opening Sanaa airport and a truce in the port city of Hodeidah, both held by the Houthis, both further confidence-building measures that are the focus of the talks in addition to a framework for negotiations.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/yemen-warring-parties-talk-peace-in-sweden-as-food-shipments-reportedly-cleared-20181210-p50l7t.html

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Yemen rebels open to more talks if 'progress' made in Sweden

Yemen's Huthi rebels are open to more talks with the rival government if progress is made this week at UN-brokered negotiations in Sweden, a spokesman said on Sunday.

"If we leave these consultations having made progress -- progress in building confidence and finding a framework -- we can hold a new round of talks" in the coming months, Huthi spokesman Mohammed Abdelsalam told reporters.

Abdelsalam, who heads the rebel delegation, spoke on the sidelines of UN-brokered talks in the rural village of Rimbo, where warring Yemeni parties are gathered.

Among the issues under discussion in Sweden are potential humanitarian corridors, a prisoner swap, the reopening of the defunct Sanaa international airport, and Hodeida, the rebel-held port city at the heart of a government offensive.

Two government delegates on Sunday said their representatives had met face-to-face on the prisoner swap, which had been agreed to by both parties before the Sweden talks.

A UN official confirmed a "committee" meeting on Sunday on the prisoner swap.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-6476657/Yemen-rebels-open-talks-progress-Sweden.html

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Yemen: Ansarullah says open for more talk if Sweden process yields

Abdul-Salam told Lebanon-based Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network that it was not the Ansarullah delegates who called for indirect talks with representatives from the administration of former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, but in fact it was the other way around.

He highlighted that Houthis are in Sweden for Yemen peace talks and not to surrender, saying, “We called for a transitional phase in order for the remaining issues of the national dialogue to advance.”

Abdel-Salam said, “Military operations in Hudaydah must stop and invading forces must go back to their positions. Among the most critical issues that we want to be addressed that the fate of our fellow fighters currently being held captive in the United Arab Emirates.”

The Ansarullah chief negotiator also expressed surprise at the Saudi-led military coalition’s demand on Yemeni army soldiers and allied fighters from Popular Committees to lay down arms at the same time as thousands of Saudi mercenaries are fighting in Yemen.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/12/09/582455/Yemeni-Ansarullah-delegation-in-Sweden-for-peace-not-to-surrender-Spokesman

(A P)

Gov’ delegation: we cannot talk about a political solution before confidence-building

Government delegation members at the consultations, Rana Ghanem and Abdulaziz Jubari, on Saturday, we can't talk about a political solution to the Yemeni crisis before the agreement on confidence-building measures.

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161920

My comment: it seems they want to declare that fulfilling their preconditions would be “confidence-building measures”.

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Yemen talks ‘yielding results

Also speaking on Saturday, the third day of the talks, Houthi delegate Abdul-Malik Al-Hajjri said enough progress has been made on the airport issue that some “positive results” could be announced as early as Sunday.

“There was a wide-ranging discussion yesterday and today on the re-opening of Sanaa airport and, God willing, there will be some positive results tomorrow on a comprehensive scenario for the reopening of Sanaa airport,” he told a news conference.

Abdul-Majid Al-Hanash, another Houthi delegate, emphasized the importance of arriving at such a framework.

“In reality, what we came here for is to discuss the most important topics and that means agreeing on a framework for the political and security files,” he told Saturday’s news conference. “If put on the table, discussing these files will mean that we expect the battle and the war to end. This is the main objective.”

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1418141/middle-east

film (Arabic) https://www.facebook.com/hafeed000/videos/vb.1830067175/10210407155015099/?type=2&theater

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Hodeida 'most difficult' issue at Yemen talks: UN source

The Yemeni city of Hodeida, home to both a valuable port and frontlines, has proved the most complex issue at UN-sponsored peace talks between warring parties, a source said.

The government demands the rebels withdraw completely from the city. The Huthis have refused.

"Hodeida is the most difficult of all," a UN source said, adding that progress on the port was crucial to finding a solution to the conflict.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-6476807/Hodeida-difficult-issue-Yemen-talks-UN-source.html

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Yemen peace talks in Sweden focus on prisoner swap deal

Yemen's warring parties met Sunday for the fourth day of U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Sweden to try to hammer out details of a prisoner exchange, which could eventually include all prisoners held by both sides in the four-year civil war.

The parties focused on the swap amid optimism on first steps toward a political dialogue.

"We are progressing toward implementation, how to swiftly group together the prisoners," said Askar Zouail, from the government delegation. "The atmosphere is positive. And we are optimistic.

Speaking later at the venue, a castle north of Stockholm, the head of the Houthi delegation said a committee was discussing the swap and that the rebels were ready for the exchange, which would include rebel fighters he said are held at undisclosed locations abroad. After signing the agreement, bodies of the dead should be identified.

"That will solve the problem of the missing," said Mohamed Abdelsalam.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-6476853/Yemen-peace-talks-Sweden-focus-prisoner-swap-deal.html

and

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Houthi delegation : that releasing the captives would take two months

Houthis prisoners file official in Houthis delegation has said that the prisoner's names list will be ready on Sunday, and a Committee of an international team and the group has been formed with the participation of the Red Cross to start the procedures for implementing the agreement.

Abdul Qadir Al -Murtadha said in the newsroom Sweden consultations, delegations discussed the items which we must start out in the file of prisoners and detainees and the formation of committees from all parties to recover the bodies of all fronts and military areas, and preparing and processing disclosures as agreed by both parties.

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/161921

(B P)

Film: The sustained closure of #Yemen's main airport is an economic issue, a humanitarian issue and a rights issue. Confidence-building measures aren't only needed with conflict parties, they are owed to Yemeni people.

https://twitter.com/suzevanmeegen/status/1072062675998392320

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Female human-rights defenders need Canada’s unwavering support

Yemeni women who defend human rights are very clear about what would boost the chances of success for their country’s beleaguered peace process: the inclusion of women.

That’s because they’ve already proven, time and again, that they can end conflict and build peace. Since the start of the war in Yemen, women have worked to end bloody local conflicts over water and land resources, and to expel armed groups from schools. They have also negotiated the opening of corridors to improve the flow of humanitarian aid to those who need it most. The Association of Mothers of Abductee Sons — a brave group of Yemeni women who demonstrate and call for the release of their sons, while enduring risks and abuses — has successfully negotiated the release of 336 detainees. This, compared to zero through the UN-sponsored process.

In fact, according to UN Women, when women are included in peace processes — by defending women’s rights and pushing for other gender-related advances — there is a 20 per cent increase in the probability of an agreement lasting at least two years, and a 35 per cent greater likelihood of one lasting at least 15 years.

https://ipolitics.ca/2018/12/10/women-human-rights-defenders-need-canadas-unwavering-support/

(* B P)

Dec. 5: The Stockholm Sessions

Moreover, as the conflict has dragged on, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia, among others, have begun investing in the Yemeni conflict by providing weapons and military support to the Saudi-led coalition, earning billions of dollars in the process.

Inside Yemen, the conflict has created new divisions among Yemenis, making a comprehensive solution that much more difficult to achieve.

In addition, there may be another barrier to the success of the talks, namely the real intentions behind what the parties hope to achieve.

Many analysts already view this round of peace talks as just the latest in a series of failed efforts.

https://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/77882

My comment: Russia???? Do not make a fool of yourself.

cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran

(A P)

Saudis to Incur God’s Wrath for Crimes in Yemen: Iran Leader

Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has warned that the Al Saud regime will definitely incur God’s wrath over the crimes it is committing against the innocent people of Yemen.

“The crime the Al Saud is committing to occupy Yemen will finally backfire,” the Leader said in a Wednesday meeting with the families of Iranian martyrs in Tehran.

https://ifpnews.com/exclusive/saudis-incur-gods-wrath-crimes-yemen-iran-leader/

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

Siehe / Look at cp1

(A P)

58 racing cars and other equipment with a combined load of 220 tons were transported to #Riyadh from around Europe via @Saudi_Airlines cargo planes, for this weekend’s FIA Formula-E championship (photos)

https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1072854910700584962

My comment: Why there is no boycott??

(* A P)

Saudi Arabia Declares War on America’s Muslim Congresswomen

Gulf Arab monarchies are using racism, bigotry, and fake news to denounce Washington's newest history-making politicians.

Ever since the midterm election, conservative media in the United States have targeted with special zeal Ilhan Omar, an incoming Somali-American Democratic congresswoman and a devout Muslim who wears hijab.

The midterm elections have amplified an existing suspicion in Middle Eastern media of Muslim political activism in the United States. Academics, media outlets, and commentators close to Persian Gulf governments have repeatedly accused Omar, Rashida Tlaib (another newly elected Muslim congresswoman), and Abdul El-Sayed (who made a failed bid to become governor of Michigan) of being secret members of the Muslim Brotherhood who are hostile to the governments of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. On Sunday, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya published a feature insinuating that Omar and Tlaib were part of an alliance between the Democratic Party and Islamist groups to control Congress. The article accused the two of being “anti-Trump and his political team and options, especially his foreign policy starting from the sanctions on Iran to the isolation of the Muslim Brotherhood and all movements of political Islam.”

In another example, a talk show on Saudi-owned station MBC discussed the Muslim congresswomen and more broadly the implications of Democrats taking the House.

The attacks have become so ubiquitous in the Persian Gulf that the trend itself is the subject of debate, both online and on television.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/12/11/saudi-arabia-declares-war-on-americas-muslim-congresswomen/

My comment: Heavy interference into US matters by Saudi Arabia: Who in the US really cares?

(* B P)

MbS Tries To Restart The Lebanese War

Now the Lebanese-American journalist Hisham Melhem reports another attempt by MbS to destabilize Lebanon—one that, if successful, would involve nothing less than restarting the Lebanese civil war that raged from 1975 until the end of the 1980s. MbS reportedly tried to drum up interest in both Washington and Beirut in a scheme to arm the Lebanese Forces, the Christian-dominated Lebanese political party that, despite its name and its history during the civil war as a militia, has renounced violence and no longer has a military wing. The purpose of such arming would be to turn the party into a lethal opponent of Hezbollah. MbS failed to get support for his project, but that did not stop him from a parallel effort to interest Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in arming Palestinians in Lebanon to make them combatants in a fight against Hezbollah. Abbas politely rejected the proposal.

https://lobelog.com/mbs-tries-to-restart-the-lebanese-war/

My comment: One more example, how dangerous and warmongering MBS is.

(* B P)

Khashoggi killing 'was meant to send a message'

U.S. should rethink ties to House of Saud

We spoke to Ali Al-Ahmed of the Gulf Institute here in Washington.

“The killing of Khashoggi, the way it was done, was meant to send a message,” Mr. Al-Ahmed declared. “It was meant for people like me. The regime demands absolute loyalty. If you don’t provide it, they can kill you. Khashoggi was on the inside; he became rich and successful on the House of Saud’s money. So they killed him - violently. They cut him up while he was still alive and then put his body through a meat grinder. This is what can happen if you disrespect this regime, even a little bit.”

Mr. Al-Ahmed wants America to consider replacing the Saudi monarchy. He has taken his adoptive country’s history seriously and wants what the Founding Fathers gave the United States for his own country. “An absolute monarchy will never give us human rights. It is the nature of a monarchy. What will happen when the Saudis come to America, to your house, to kill one of their dissidents, like me? We have been telling people in here in Washington what the Saudi regime is like for years; now they know. In that way, the Khashoggi killing had a silver lining.

“I want America to rethink the Saudi relationship. Taking out one prince (MBS) for another now will change nothing. It is the royal family that is the problem. Changing one person at the top will not change a thing.

https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/dec/10/saudi-dissident-ali-al-ahmed-khashoggi-was-message/

(A P)

Amnesty International: Gulf Leaders can not Longer Treat Their Citizens as Criminals

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4277&cat_id=2

(* B P)

MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN; A PRINCE WHO SHOULD NOT BECOME A KING

In his short tenure, Mohammed Bin Salman has blazed a trail of bold and bloody moves domestically and regionally that were norm busting, counterintuitive and precedent breaking. While every Saudi monarch since 1932 had interfered in Yemen’s domestic affairs politically, militarily and often aggressively, only Muhammed Bin Salman as the leader of the wealthiest Arab country waged a war to destroy the already weak and fractured economy and infrastructure of the poorest Arab country.

Years of political tensions, mutual domestic meddling and hostile media campaigns exploded in the summer of 2017 when a coalition of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia imposed unprecedented punitive measures against Qatar.

Mohammed Bin Salman has trapped himself in a war in Yemen that he cannot win, but he has already lost his campaign against Qatar.

The praise heaped on Mohammed Bin Salman as the new awaited Saudi reformer the West has been longing for, until the murder of Khashoggi, says a lot about the naiveté of western analysts and journalists than about the crown prince, who fancied himself as a modernizer seeking to end some of Saudi Arabia’s backward and ‘primitive ‘practices’ such as banning women from driving, but never pretended to be a political reformer.

In fact the short reign of Mohammed Bin Salman has been more despotic that previous rulers. No former Saudi Monarch has amassed the executive powers, political, military and economic that the crown prince has concentrated in his hands except for the founder of the ruling dynasty King Abdul-Aziz Al Saud.

Nothing in the tumultuous short reign of Mohammed Bin Salman shows that he is capable of learning from his blunders. Before he reached the age of thirty three he had already cut a trail of blood and tears. The democracies of the world, particularly the United States should shun him and treat him as the pariah that he is. Mohammed Bin Salman is one crown prince who should not become a king.

https://deepstateradionetwork.com/mohammed-bin-salman-a-prince-who-should-not-become-a-king/

cp8a Jamal Khashoggi

(A P)

Time 'Person of Year' goes to journalists

Also honored was Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-time-person/time-person-of-year-goes-to-journalists-including-imprisoned-reuters-pair-idUSKBN1OA1GU

photo: https://twitter.com/hxhassan/status/1072496180096049152

and

(A P)

PERSON OF THE YEAR 2018: THEGUARDIANSAND THEWAR ON TRUTH

http://time.com/person-of-the-year-2018-the-guardians/

(* B P)

'I can't breathe.' Jamal Khashoggi's last words disclosed in transcript, source says

"I can't breathe." These were the final words uttered by Jamal Khashoggi after he was set upon by a Saudi hit squad at the country's consulate in Istanbul, according to a source briefed on the investigation into the killing of the Washington Post columnist.

The source, who has read a translated transcript of an audio recording of Khashoggi's painful last moments, said it was clear that the killing on October 2 was no botched rendition attempt, but the execution of a premeditated plan to murder the journalist.

During the course of the gruesome scene, the source describes Khashoggi struggling against a group of people determined to kill him.

"I can't breathe," Khashoggi says.

"I can't breathe."

"I can't breathe."

The transcript notes the sounds of Khashoggi's body being dismembered by a saw, as the alleged perpetrators are advised to listen to music to block out the sound.

And, according to the source, the transcript suggests that a series of phone calls are made, briefing them on progress. Turkish officials believe the calls were made to senior figures in Riyadh.

Some of the details in the transcript seen by CNN's source have emerged in previous reports of the recording's content. But this is the fullest account of the transcript that has so far been published.

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/09/middleeast/jamal-khashoggi-last-words-intl/index.html

(A P)

Turkish Justice Minister: Saudi’s Did not Provide Support to Ankara in Khashoggi Case

Turkish Justice Minister, Abdul Hamid Gul, said on Monday that his country has completed all kinds of legal and technical preparations to transfer the case of the death of Jamal Khashoggi to international forums, in the light of the Saudi position

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4276&cat_id=3

(A P)

Saudi foreign minister rules out extraditing suspects in Khashoggi case

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister on Sunday ruled out the extradition of suspects in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, after Istanbul’s chief prosecutor filed warrants for the arrest of two former senior Saudi officials.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-khashoggi-turkey-extradition/saudi-foreign-minister-rules-out-extraditing-suspects-in-khashoggi-case-idUSKBN1O80NW

cp9 USA

Siehe / Look at cp1

(A P)

See Where Your Senators Stand on S.J.RES.54

We have a chance to end U.S. complicity in the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen.

Skip to the end of this post to find out where your Senators stand on S.J.Res.54, or read on for details on how we can win. >>

Our biggest chance to victory

http://winwithoutwar.org/sjres54-whiplist/

(* A P)

Fueled by Jamal Khashoggi murder, Senate poised to open historic debate on U.S. role in Yemen war

The Senate will begin a potentially historic debate Wednesday on a measure to end U.S. military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, fueled by bipartisan outrage over the kingdom's role in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

It will be the first time Congress has held a full-fledged debate on a measure linked to the War Powers Act, a Vietnam-era law designed to limit the president's power to start or escalate military engagement. The final outcome of Wednesday's vote remains in flux, with senators bracing for a free-flowing floor debate on Khashoggi's murder, America's alliance with Saudi Arabia, and the deadly war in Yemen.

Proponents of the Yemen war powers resolution say they're optimistic it will pass this week, putting pressure on the House to act. Unlike other bills, the measure is not subject to a filibuster, so it needs only a simple 51-vote majority to pass.

“If we end up getting over 50 votes on a war powers resolution, that’s historic,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who sponsored the Yemen resolution with Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont.

It would be the first time either the House or Senate “has ever used the war powers to pull the United States out of hostilities overseas,” Murphy said.

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/12/12/jamal-khashoggi-murder-senate-debates-end-military-support-saudi-led-yemen-war/2222010002/

and also https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/12/senate-to-vote-on-yemen-amid-growing-skepticism-over-us-saudi-alliance

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Senators’ Yemen Vote Is Precursor to Debate on Saudi Relations

Corker eyes nonbinding resolution to condemn kingdom over Khashoggi murder

After the Senate holds a vote on proceeding to the resolution from Sens. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, and Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, which is expected to easily pass, Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker has promised to make an unspecified “parliamentary move” to ensure any amendments to the resolution are germane.

“I think that will overwhelmingly pass,” the Tennessee Republican told reporters of his plan to restrict floor debate. “I think that all the people who support the resolution will vote for that and then there will be a whole lot of good-government Republicans that don’t want to see the Senate turned into … a silly vote-a-thon.”

The Sanders-Lee resolution, which is privileged under the War Powers Act, only needs a simple majority to pass.

But the retiring senator has said he will oppose the Sanders-Lee measure.

Instead, Corker is passing around a separate nonbinding resolution, yet to be introduced, that would condemn several of the policies of the Saudi crown prince and accuse him of complicity in the October assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“I don’t want anyone to think we’re trying to interfere with the Lee-Sanders thing because they are two different issues,” Corker said of his resolution on the Khashoggi murder.

http://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/senators-yemen-vote-precursor-debate-saudi-relations

(* A P)

CIA chief to brief House on Khashoggi as pressure mounts on Trump

The Trump administration faces growing pressure to defend its continuing close relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed.

CIA Director Gina Haspel will brief House leaders Wednesday about what U.S. intelligence knows about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, three people familiar with the briefing tell NBC News, amid growing questions about the Trump administration's response to the killing and Jared Kushner's relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Haspel's trip to Capitol Hill comes the week after her briefing about the intelligence with key senators

Trump's aides aren't the only ones working to influence the view in Congress about the crown prince's role in Khashoggi's murder in October in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Three Senate aides tell NBC News that the head of Turkish intelligence, Hakan Fidan, came to Washington last week and briefed a group of senators about Turkey's Khashoggi investigation and other issues. The group included both Democrats and Republicans.

Ahead of Haspel's trip, the House Intelligence Committee was briefed by members of the U.S. intelligence community on the Khashoggi killing, the first such briefing for all members of the committee, a congressional source with knowledge of the briefing said. House members will also hear from Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Thursday about Khashoggi and Saudi Arabia, as well as the Saudi-led war in Yemen, as lawmakers consider various legislation condemning Crown Prince Mohammed or limiting U.S. support for the Yemen war.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/cia-chief-brief-house-khashoggi-pressure-mounts-trump-n946796

(B P)

US military race source of global tensions: Antiwar activist

'The presence of US military troops on over 800 bases in 80 countries is provocative and increases military tensions throughout the world,' Leah Johnson Bolger said.

'I believe that President [Donald] Trump supports Saudi Arabia because of his personal business interests and does not want to do anything to endanger his relationship with [Saudi crown prince] Bin Salman or anyone who has any influence regarding financial profit for himself.'

http://www.irna.ir/en/News/83126465

(B P)

Roy Blunt has received $19,250 from Saudi lobbyists. Did they get their money’s worth?

During the last two years, Blunt received $19,250 from Saudi lobbyists.

Whether they got their money’s worth, of course, is for them to say. But Blunt has been out front in supporting the Saudis, even sounding notes of neutrality after the gruesome Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman-ordered assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.

Maybe there are other reasons for Blunt’s notably pro-Saudi stance than those dollars from the Saudi lobby.

On ABC’s “This Week, Blunt tried to minimize the meaning of the CIA’s ”high confidence” that the crown prince personally ordered the live dismemberment of a U.S. resident and columnist for the Washington Post.

https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article222959430.html

(* A P)

House Republicans move to block Yemen war-powers votes for rest of Congress

House Republicans are moving to prevent members from forcing a vote for the rest of the year on any resolution that attempts to use the War Powers Act to cut off U.S. support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen.

On Tuesday night, the House Rules Committee advanced in a party-line vote a rule for floor debate of the Farm Bill that includes a provision stripping War Powers resolutions related to Yemen of their privileged status, which is supposed to allow lawmakers to force vote on such bills, for the rest of this Congress.

“The provisions of section 7 of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1546) shall not apply during the remainder of the One Hundred Fifteenth Congress to a concurrent resolution introduced pursuant to section 5 of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1544) with respect to the Republic of Yemen,” the rule says, referencing the relevant sections of the War Powers law.

The rule must still be approved by the full House.

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/420935-house-republicans-move-to-block-yemen-war-powers-votes-for-rest-of-congress
My comment: The same dirty maneuvres again…

(* B P)

Khashoggi’s friends, other foreigners, are being watched. The U.S. can do little about it

For years, Ali Al-Ahmed felt grateful to be in the United States, enjoying a safe life, much like his friend, the slain writer Jamal Khashoggi did. Now the dissident Saudi says he is “freaked out.”

Al-Ahmed feels hounded even in his suburban Washington home. He’s been sent dozens of emails tainted with malware. He grows uneasy every time he turns on his car’s ignition. And he blames the Saudi monarchy, which U.S. intelligence has concluded killed Khashoggi while The Washington Post columnist visited his country’s consulate in Istanbul in October.

“This morning, when I was putting on my socks, I thought, I could be killed in a matter of weeks or days,” Al-Ahmed told McClatchy.

It is a nervousness shared by many migrants who fled their homelands because of fears of persecution, only to find themselves subjects of surveillance in a country they thought would offer them protection. Increasingly, they worry that their cell phones are hacked, their computers hijacked and their communications intercepted.

https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/policy/technology/cyber-security/article222789710.html

(A P)

Senator Marco Rubio: Hold Saudis accountable, but don't ignore Iran in Yemen

The U.S. has powerful interests not only in ending Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, but also in stopping Iran and its Shi’a terrorist proxies, as well as Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), ISIS-Yemen, and other Sunni terrorists, from establishing permanent footholds from which they can threaten our nation and our forces in the region.

In Yemen, as in Syria, Iran is ruthlessly pursuing malign hegemony with no regard for innocent lives. The Iranian regime is using arms transfers, training and terrorist proxies to empower Houthi rebels, terrorize Yemeni civilians, undermine the security of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and challenge U.S. national security interests in the region.

But speaking honestly about Iran’s direct responsibility for Yemen’s tragic conflict does not mean we must ignore the counter-productive actions that Saudi Arabia has sometimes taken.

While the Saudis must answer for Khashoggi’s murder, congressional efforts to limit or end U.S. cooperation with the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen risks emboldening Iran and increasing the suffering of the Yemeni people.

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/senator-marco-rubio-hold-saudis-accountable-but-dont-ignore-iran-in-yemen

My comment: Anti-Iranian paranoia as an argument for keeping up support for Saudi Arabia, enriched with making some crying on the Khashoggi case for not being obliged to show any real action. – Quite odd: “challenge U.S. national security interests in the region“: There are no real „U.S. national security interests in the region“: The US is more than 6,000 miles away. The rest is naked imperialism. – „Iran is ruthlessly pursuing malign hegemony with no regard for innocent lives“?? This would be a perfect description of US foreign policy – in Southern America since the 19. Century, world-wide since 1945. – „The Iranian regime is using arms transfers, training and terrorist proxies”??? This is what the US does world-wide, since 1945 at least, in Southern America since the 19. century. So what????

(* B K P)

Yemen: the US has blood on its hands

But it seems the political will in Washington is still very much behind the Saudi coalition’s war effort.

Why? Because for the US, support for Saudi Arabia is often entwined with its interventions and objectives in the Middle East. Just as Britain backed the House of Saud after the First World War in order to consolidate its post-Ottoman regional gains, so the US, after the Second World War, also backed the Sauds. Successive US governments have not exactly been fans of Saudi Arabian authoritarianism, but Saudi monarchs have preserved the regional status quo – in the West’s interests. This relationship was especially important for the US after the Iranian Revolution in 1978, and again after 9/11, the ‘war on terror’, and the years-long Iraq War.

The result of this is that the US doesn’t even have a Yemen policy, it simply follows Saudi Arabia’s Yemen policy. And Saudi Arabia will do anything it can to secure itself against its main regional rival, and shared enemy with the US — Iran — which is backing the Houthis. Even if this means bombing and starving Yemen. And the US and its allies continue to support it, in order to secure the region against the spectre of instability.

Even now, with the Houthis and the ‘internationally recognised’ government of Yemen in talks over a potential peace, one can see, in the calls for the Houthis to accept Hadi’s presidency, the dead hand of US and Saudi interventionism. After all, the Houthis are being asked to accept the order imposed on Yemen by the Gulf Cooperation Council and the UN in 2012 – that is, the very order that generated the conflict in the first place.

One hopes that some form of peace can be reached. But the alliance between Saudi Arabia and the US, seeing the threat of Iran everywhere, is becoming increasingly paranoid. And it is still hanging over Yemen. What is best for the people of Yemen may well come a distant second to what is deemed best for Saudi Arabia and the US – by Tim Black

https://www.spiked-online.com/2018/12/11/yemen-the-us-has-blood-on-its-hands/

(B P)

Mike Pompeo swaggers his way to failure

Now, after a month that has seen the secretary offer smiles and excuses to Saudi Arabia’s murderous Mohammed bin Salman, trash Congress for “caterwauling” and inspire a rare revolt by Senate Republicans, it’s time to offer a verdict: Pompeo has managed to worsen the State Department’s already abysmal standing with every significant constituency.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/mike-pompeo-swaggers-his-way-to-failure/2018/12/09/0c7dd626-f977-11e8-8c9a-860ce2a8148f_story.html

(* A P)

Trump, in reversal, calls for Pentagon to raise budget request to $750B: reports

President Trump is reportedly calling for the Pentagon to raise its budget request for next year to $750 billion, significantly more than he previously wanted and $12 billion more than top military officials have been pushing for.

Trump in a tweet last week appeared to call the Department of Defense's current budget of $716 billion "crazy," and he has been pushing for a 5 percent cut to its budget as he seeks to trim spending across the federal agencies.

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/420490-trump-in-reversal-calls-for-pentagon-to-raise-budget-request-to-750b-reports

(B P)

Sorry Tale: Yemen War Is About Murdering Civilians, Criminalizing Democracy

This large number of casualties is unsurprising, as the US-backed, Saudi-led invasion forces have been attacking heavily populated areas for four years, while indiscriminate Saudi airstrikes kill civilians several times a week. To be sure, civilian casualties are an ongoing problem throughout the Saudi war on Yemen, and the UN’s report comes with a call for the invaders to “do more” to protect civilians during the fighting.

The latest revelations underscore the need for the US and UK to halt their support for the Saudi-led coalition

Civilian casualties from attacks themselves are also dwarfed by the number of civilians starved to death or otherwise killed by the Saudi naval blockade, which is distinct from the UN figure.

Here, no serious observer of recent events can honestly believe the mono-narrative US Senate, including Congress outfits, will do otherwise: try to stop US support for the war.

We are watching the same strategy that bankrupted the former Soviet Union: A debt-crippled economy is destroying its currency by creating too much of it to finance foreign military adventures and occupations that the bureaucrats and military cronies on the Capitol Hill know cannot win. We are watching the same strategy that bankrupted the former Soviet Union: A debt-crippled economy is destroying its currency by creating too much of it to finance foreign military adventures and occupations that the bureaucrats and military cronies on the Capitol Hill know cannot win.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970919001137

Remark: from Iran.

(* A P)

Leader @NancyPelosi & @WhipHoyer Can End the Saudi Regime’s War in Yemen This Week

But so far major media have not reported that a similar vote is looming in the House this week, still less that opponents of the Yemen war have good reason to expect that they can win the House vote.

The current House vehicle for ending the Yemen war is H. Con. Res 142, introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna together with Reps. Mark Pocan, Thomas Massie, Walter Jones, Jim McGovern, Tulsi Gabbard, and Barbara Lee on November 29. The text of H. Con. Res 142, invoking the War Powers Resolution of 1973 to force a floor debate and vote on ending U.S. participation in the Saudi war in Yemen,

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/12/9/1818048/-Leader-NancyPelosi-WhipHoyer-Can-End-the-Saudi-Regime-s-War-in-Yemen-This-Week

(A P)

Jerry Moran to push for speedy final vote on ending U.S. role in Yemen

Republican Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas announced he will vote Wednesday to speed final passage of a resolution ending American military involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen — a crucial step that could help get the measure approved.

https://www.mcclatchydc.com/latest-news/article222947180.html

and also https://www.islandpacket.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article222964430.html

(* A P)

State Department says planned Senate vote is sending the 'wrong message' on Yemen

The State Department has expressed frustration with Senate moves to cut U.S. support for the Saudi-led offensive in Yemen.

The bipartisan Senate resolution represents an unprecedented effort to invoke Congress's war powers to end U.S. activity that was started under the Obama administration without the authorization of Congress.

The White House argues that success of such a vote would empower Iran, Saudi Arabia's regional arch-rival and the backer of Yemen's Houthi rebels

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/11/yemen-war-state-department-says-senate-vote-sends-wrong-message.html

My comment: Earlier reporting in Yemen War Mosaic 489. – US foreign policy, fully in the grip of anti-Iranian paranoia.

(* A B P)

Often Quiet On Wars, Congress Challenges White House Over Yemen

President Trump sent a largely unnoticed letter to Congress last week saying the U.S. is engaged in at least seven separate military conflicts.

In most cases, though not all, Trump and his two immediate White House predecessors launched these U.S. military actions without explicit approval from Congress.

"Congress has been silent while the executive branch continues to assert its power," said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).

But something is stirring in Congress. There's growing sentiment to force the president to end U.S. involvement in a war.

In this case, it's Yemen.

The killing of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, by Saudi officials, set off a chain of events that's led Congress to become much more vocal in opposing U.S. military aid to Saudi Arabia, which is fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen.
"There's certainly no authorization for helping the Saudis in the civil war against the Houthis," said Khanna, who's pushing a measure that would block this U.S. military support.

https://www.npr.org/2018/12/11/675343616/often-quiet-on-wars-congress-challenges-white-house-over-yemen?t=1544541731186

(* A B P)

House lawmakers push Yemen resolution as Senate nears vote

A bipartisan pair of congressmen is trying again to force a vote on U.S. support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen’s civil war before the end of the year, as the Senate is poised to take similar action.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) recently reintroduced a War Powers Resolution that would remove U.S. forces from hostilities in Yemen except to fight terrorism as allowed by the 2001 war authorization.

A Democratic aide said Khanna and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), the lead Republican co-sponsor, “will be pushing for floor action by the end of the year,” with Massie helping to whip Republican support.

A spokeswoman for Massie said the congressman is gathering signatures on a letter to send to Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) requesting a “clean vote” on the resolution.

“We ask you to uphold the Constitution and the War Powers Act by allowing H. Con. Res. 142 to receive an up-or-down vote,” a draft of the letter says

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/420642-house-lawmakers-push-yemen-resolution-as-senate-nears-vote

(B P)

‘End times:’ Rand Paul, Lindsey Graham find common ground on Saudi Arabia

Long at odds when it comes to foreign policy, the South Carolina and Kentucky Republicans have discovered rare common ground: Fury over the role of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince in the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and frustration with the Trump administration’s support for the kingdom.

The White House allies represent the hawkish and non-interventionist poles of the Republican Party.

https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/congress/article222681885.html

(* A B P)

Senators to try formally condemning Saudi crown prince for journalist’s killing

The Senate may formally condemn Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi before the end of the year, if no one stands in the way of the outgoing Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman’s plan to expedite a vote to do so on the floor.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said he would seek on Tuesday to have the Senate vote on a measure holding the crown prince responsible for the killing of Khashoggi, and calling on him to cease other aggressive Saudi policies in the Persian Gulf, including its military campaign in Yemen, blockade of Qatar and incarceration of human rights activists.

While the measure is nonbinding, it nonetheless would serve as a rebuke of President Trump, who has refused to blame Mohammed for the killing — breaking with the findings of the CIA and angering many in Congress, even his own allies, for prioritizing weapons sales and other transactions with Saudi Arabia over American values.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/senators-to-try-condemning-saudi-crown-prince-for-journalists-killing/2018/12/10/f437d4c4-fcd5-11e8-83c0-b06139e540e5_story.html

(* A B P)

Congress seeks to formally condemn Saudi prince for journalist’s death

On the eve of an unprecedented vote to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, Senate Republican leaders are hoping to secure bipartisan support for a resolution formally condemning Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his alleged role in murdering journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Despite being nonbinding, the resolution would serve as a strong, bipartisan rebuke against the crown prince as senators try to agree on more concrete policy measures to take against Saudi Arabia.

“It’s a strong statement of our condemnation of what has happened,” Corker told Al-Monitor. “To me that’s important, even though it doesn’t affect policy.”

The senator said the resolution would also reference Riyadh’s 18-month-old blockade against its neighbor Qatar and the crown prince’s apparent abduction of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri last year.

“My sense is Democrats are concerned that somehow this is an attempt to undermine Lee-Sanders,” said Corker. “It isn’t. I’ve assured them it’s just not. It’s totally unrelated.”

Corker predicts that he can secure Democratic backing for the Senate to move on his resolution shortly after Wednesday’s Yemen vote.

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/12/congress-seeks-condemn-saudi-prince-khashoggi-mbs.html

Remark: The headline is wrong. It’s about Senate.

(* A B P)

Senate to Vote on Withdrawing U.S. Support to Saudis in Yemen War

The resolution is an effort to punish Riyadh for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi

The U.S. Senate this week is set to vote on a resolution to withdraw U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition at war in Yemen, an effort to punish Riyadh for the killing of a Saudi Arabian journalist.

The measure is just one of several lawmakers have introduced that would pit a Senate skeptical about the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia against the Trump administration, which views the kingdom as a vital strategic ally.

A resolution set for a vote this week, sponsored by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) and Mike Lee (R., Utah.), would withdraw U.S. military support from the Yemen conflict between Saudi-led coalition and Iran-allied Houthi militants, which has left tens of thousands dead and pushed millions to the brink of starvation. Among other elements, it would bar U.S. refueling of Saudi planes and scale back the U.S. presence in the region.

“Our involvement in this terrible war is one thing that engenders more terrorism,” said Rand Paul (R., Ky.) on NBC Sunday. “I think it’s actually a risk to our national security to be involved with the Saudis.”

https://www.wsj.com/articles/senate-to-vote-on-withdrawing-u-s-support-to-saudis-in-yemen-war-1544383027

(* A B P)

Diminished Saudi influence on display in Senate debate over Yemen

Saudi Arabia’s typically formidable lobbying operation has gone quiet as the Senate prepares to vote on the resolution.

a sign of the kingdom’s diminished influence in Washington after the killing of the journalist and Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi two months ago.

The Saudi embassy has emailed Senate offices touting what it says are humanitarian efforts in Yemen, but lobbyists for the kingdom have largely disengaged since Khashoggi was killed.

And the offices of three Republican senators who joined with Democrats late last month to advance the resolution, which calls for yanking U.S. backing for Saudi efforts in Yemen, said they hadn’t heard from any lobbyists for the Saudis ahead of a final vote on the bill.

“There’s not the same kind of environment for the Saudi government to be welcomed on the Hill,” said Kate Gould, a lobbyist for the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker nonprofit that’s been advocating for the resolution.

“There’s not the same kind of environment for the Saudi government to be welcomed on the Hill,” said Kate Gould, a lobbyist for the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker nonprofit that’s been advocating for the resolution.

The Central Intelligence Agency’s conclusion that Mohammed bin Salman likely ordered Khashoggi’s death, along with growing international outrage over the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, have curtailed Saudi Arabia’s influence in Washington.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/10/saudi-arabia-senate-vote-yemen-1052216

(* A B K P)

Send Trump and the Saudis a Message: End Support for the War on Yemen

A State Department official restated that the administration very much wants to continue backing the Saudi coalition war on Yemen:

While Pentagon officials tell members of the Senate one thing, other administration officials tell members of the Saudi coalition something else. According to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs’ testimony last week, the U.S. isn’t a participant in the war and doesn’t support any side, but the administration is quick to reassure an audience in the UAE that the U.S. won’t “withdraw from the conflict” (acknowledging that we are a party to the conflict) and won’t “discontinue our support” (admitting that we are very much on one side). Administration officials tell a dishonest story to Congress to discourage opposition to the war, but when they need to reassure regional clients that U.S. support isn’t going anywhere they drop the pretense of being uninvolved. It is no wonder that members of Congress have grown tired of the administration’s two-faced Yemen policy.

Mr. Lenderking calls support for the Saudi coalition “necessary.” That raises some obvious questions: necessary for whom and for what purpose? It isn’t necessary for U.S. security.

What message would be sent if the U.S. stopped supporting the indefensible war on Yemen? The message would be that the U.S. doesn’t provide mindless, unconditional support to its clients regardless of what they do.

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/send-trump-and-the-saudis-a-message-end-support-for-the-war-on-yemen/

(* B K P)

Mohammed bin Salman, Regional Menace

Hisham Melhem has written a searing denunciation of Mohammed bin Salman’s disastrous foreign policy record and his destabilizing domestic power grabs. Here he calls out the crown prince’s responsibility for the destruction and starvation of Yemen:

It isn’t surprising that someone as ignorant and hapless as Jared Kushner has been taken in by Mohammed bin Salman, but what is everyone else’s excuse?

Many American policymakers and politicians have downplayed and whitewashed Saudi coalition crimes in Yemen because of our government’s involvement in the disaster, and some of them are so obsessed with Iran that they have been prepared to ignore or explain away any number of atrocities as long as they can claim that opposing Iran is the goal.

There was never any reason to assume that Mohammed bin Salman would be an improvement over his predecessors, but there was every sign from the very beginning that he might prove to be much worse. He has turned out to be exceptionally repressive and cruel even by Saudi standards, and in just a few years he has become one of the world’s great war criminals. The U.S.-Saudi relationship was already a bad one before he came to power, and with him in power it has become truly toxic.

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/mohammed-bin-salman-regional-menace/

(B P)

US-Saudi relationship enters uncharted territory

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/12/09/582457/US-support-Saudi-war-on-Yemen-necessary-Lenderking

(B P)

Focus on Yemen, not the Saudi crown prince

Yet, while there certainly is a strong case for terminating American support for the Saudis in Yemen, it is not at all clear that condemning the crown prince necessarily helps to achieve that objective. It will be hard enough to persuade the Saudis to terminate their operations against the Houthis, who represent a serious threat to their southern flank, especially as they continue to receive support from Iran, Riyadh’s arch enemy.

There is considerable merit in pressing the Saudis to abandon what has become a costly war that has done little more than create a massive humanitarian crisis. Condemning the crown prince will not help matters, however, nor will it cause him to alter his policies; it will only prolong the conflict

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/420041-focus-on-yemen-not-the-saudi-crown-prince

My comment: This really is a strange viewpoint. What does the author want to tell us? The US should stop arm sales, as just mocking the crown prince would not be enough? Certainly not. And it’s quite strange if he mentions Israel here. Well, he just wants to tell us: Continue as before.

(B P)

Film: Can Bernie Sanders Get Peace In Yemen?

In this Majority Report clip, Bernie Sanders is pushing a new bill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoNI0XOFak8

(* B K P)

Fehler in der Buchhaltung: US-Steuerzahler zahlen für Treibstoff saudischer Kampfjets im Jemen

Buchhaltungsfehler des Pentagon führten dazu, dass der US-Steuerzahler jahrelang das Betanken saudischer Militärmaschinen im Jemen mitfinanziert hat. Das Versehen mache die Unterstützung der USA für Riad noch unerträglicher, so ein Analyst gegenüber RT.

Das Pentagon räumte ein, dass das US-Verteidigungsministerium "die von Saudi-Arabien geführte" Koalition nicht ausreichend für Treibstoff- und Betankungsdienste habe zahlen lassen. Das Ausmaß des "Fehlers" liegt schätzungsweise bei dutzenden Millionen von Dollar. Über drei Jahre lang übernahmen die USA die Betankung der Militärjets der Saudis.

Diese Art fehlerhafter Rechnungslegung sei allerdings im Pentagon so üblich, erklärte der Investigativjournalist David Lindorff gegenüber RT.

Lindorff behauptet, die Buchhaltung des Pentagon werde "häufig nur nachgebessert", und fügte hinzu, der sogenannte Fehler sei "nur ein weiterer Buchhaltungs-Trick" des Ministeriums.

https://deutsch.rt.com/international/80926-wegen-fehlern-in-buchhaltung-us-steuerzahler-zahlen-fuer-treibstoff-jemen/

cp11 Deutschland / Germany

(A K P)

Jemen – der Krieg, die Opfer und die Täter Fotos und Fakten zum Krieg und zur humanitären Katastrophe im Jemen

Vernissage: Montag, 7. Januar 2019 um 17.30 Uhr mit Aenne Rappel, Förderverein Jemenhilfe e.V.
19.00 Uhr, Informationsveranstaltung „Die humanitäre Katastrophe im Jemen“
mit Aenne Rappel über die Projekte der Jemenhilfe vor Ort

Veranstaltungsort: EineWeltHaus München, Schwanthalerstr. 80, 80336 München
Raum: Foyer
Veranstalter: Aktionsbündnis gegen die NATO „Sicherheits“-Konferenz in Kooperation mit dem EineWeltHaus

https://www.einewelthaus.de/events/jemen-der-krieg-die-opfer-und-die-taeter-fotos-und-fakten-zum-krieg-und-zur-humanitaeren-katastrophe-im-jemen/

(B K P)

Angriffskrieg gegen Jemen entschieden und effizient entgegenwirken

"Die Bundesregierung ist für das Leid von elf Millionen hungernden Kindern und Jugendlichen im Jemen mitverantwortlich, solange sie nicht entschieden und effizient gegen den Angriffskrieg Saudi-Arabiens vorgeht“, sagte Heike Hänsel, die stellvertretende Vorsitzende der Fraktion DIE LINKE im Bundestag, zu den jüngsten Warnungen des UN-Kinderhilfswerk Unicef

https://www.linksfraktion.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/detail/angriffskrieg-gegen-jemen-entschieden-und-effizient-entgegenwirken/

(B P)

Jürgen Todenhöfer: FRIEDEN FÜR DEN JEMEN?

Liebe Freunde, die Welt redet von Frieden, doch die Saudis bomben weiter. Mit amerikanischen und auch deutschen Waffen. Alle 10 Minuten verhungert ferner ein Kind. Kindermord vor unseren Augen. Mit deutscher Hilfe.

Ohne rot zu werden, behauptet die Bundesregierung, dagegen könne sie leider nichts machen. Was für eine Lüge! Eine Genehmigungspflicht für deutsche Waffenfirmen im Ausland würde reichen.

Was tun?
1.Die Bundesregierung müsste diese heimlichen Waffenexporte sofort stoppen.
2.Sie müsste sich für einen sofortigen Stopp der (offenen) US-Waffenlieferungen einsetzen.
3.Sie müsste einen sofortigen Waffenstillstand fordern.
4.Sie müsste eine sofortige Aufhebung der Hungerblockade verlangen.

Statt zu reden, müsste sie handeln. Verantwortung übernehmen. Aufhören zu töten. Politik machen.

https://www.facebook.com/JuergenTodenhoefer/photos/a.10150173554135838/10156030689025838/?type=3

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

(A H P)

„Die Menschen essen Bäume“: Jemen bittet Türkei um Hilfe

https://nex24.news/2018/12/die-menschen-essen-baeume-jemen-bittet-tuerkei-um-hilfe/

(A H P)

Yemen calls for more humanitarian aid from Turkey

Yemen is calling for more humanitarian aid and protection from Turkey, said the undersecretary of Yemen’s Ministry of Local Administration.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20181210-yemen-calls-for-more-humanitarian-aid-from-turkey/

(A P)

Amnesty International: Gulf Leaders can not Longer Treat Their Citizens as Criminals

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4277&cat_id=2

(* A P)

Film from France: Quelqu'un peut me dire s'il a déjà vu ça dans notre pays, depuis 50 ans ? Arrestation de lycéens à Mantes-la-Jolie.

https://www.facebook.com/philippe.berard.121/videos/2354231101318859/

and

La vidéo de l’interpellation collective de dizaines de lycéens à Mantes-la-Jolie provoque de vives réactions

La vidéo, qui montre des rangées d’élèves à genoux, mains sur la tête, sous la surveillance de policiers casqués, armés de matraques et de boucliers, « est forcément choquante », a reconnu le ministre de l’éducation, Jean-Michel Blanquer.

https://www.lemonde.fr/police-justice/article/2018/12/06/mantes-la-jolie-des-images-choquantes-de-lyceens-interpelles-par-la-police_5393757_1653578.html

(A P)

The Arab "social media influencers" summit in #Dubai ought to talk about real influencers in the #UAE and the region like @Ahmed_Mansoor and other persecuted human rights activists Mansour was sentenced to 10 years in jail for his peaceful activism.

https://twitter.com/chehayebk/status/1072078553901137920

(A P)

Yemeni Conflict 'Direct Threat' to All Persian Gulf States - Emir of Kuwait

Emir of Kuwait Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah said on Sunday that the war in Yemen was putting at risk the security of all states of the Persian Gulf and expressed hope for the ongoing peace talks to be successful.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201812091070536083-yemeni-conflict-threat/

(A P)

Iranian Leader's Top Aide Asks Efforts by All Muslims to End Yemen Crisis

Iranian Supreme Leader's top Aide for International Affairs Ali Akbar Velayati voiced deep concern about the dire situation of the people in Yemen, calling on the entire world Muslims to endeavor to end the crisis in the war-hit country.

"A cowardly and of course unwise invasion and cruel siege has been imposed on the Yemeni nation," Velayati said, addressing a meeting of the Muslim elites and thinkers from across the world in Tehran on Monday.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970919000305

(A P)

Iran, EU Confer on Crises in Yemen, Syria

Special Assistant to Iran's Foreign Minister in Political Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari, in a meeting in Brussels, discussed ways to put an end to the ongoing crises in Yemen and Syria with Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Helga Schmid.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970920000119

(A P)

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed support for the UN-led consultations in Stockholm on December 11.[3]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-december-11-2018

(A P)

US support for aggressors triggers humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen: Iran

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman says the United States is behind the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen by providing arms and financial support for the aggressor states, which have been wreaking havoc in the war-torn country.

Rejecting allegations that Iran has requested to send a delegation to the ongoing Yemen peace talks in Stockholm, Sweden, the Iranian spokesman said, “Since the beginning of the crisis in Yemen, the Islamic Republic has emphasized the need for Yemeni-Yemeni talks away from any foreign intervention and the ongoing talks in Stockholm are of a Yemeni-Yemeni nature.”

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/12/09/582448/Yemen-Sweden-Qassemi-Iran-US-war

and also http://www.iran-daily.com/News/235499.html

http://www.iran-daily.com/News/235518.html

(A P)

Bahrain: My father Nabeel Rajab is sentenced to 5 years in prison for opposing the #Saudi war on Yemen & exposing torture in #Bahrain He is due to appear in last resort court on 31st/Dec to appeal. Hoping that he celebrates NewYears as a free man!

https://twitter.com/Adamnabeel/status/1072099381782999040

cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis

(A P)

Qatar rift overshadows Gulf Arab summit as emir stays away

A Gulf Arab summit called for regional unity as Bahrain and Qatar traded barbs over the Qatari emir’s decision not to attend the gathering in Saudi Arabia on Sunday in a sign that a row between Doha and its neighbors is still festering.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gulf-qatar/qatar-rift-overshadows-gulf-arab-summit-as-emir-stays-away-idUSKBN1O803S

My comment: The Emir might remember what happened to Lebanon’s Hariri when coming to Saudi Arabia.

(A P)

Qatar Emir Skips Gulf Meet Hosted By Saudi Arabia

Riyadh is hosting the annual gathering as crises rumble on over the 18-month-old dispute with Qatar, the war in Yemen and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Qatar's emir skipped a summit in Saudi Arabia on Sunday with fellow Arab Gulf leaders whose boycott of the small but energy-flush neighbour has sparked a major regional diplomatic row.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/qatar-emir-tamim-bin-hamad-al-thani-skips-gulf-meet-hosted-by-saudi-arabia-1960126

(A P)

Gulf divisions widen as Qatar accused of 'snubbing' meeting

Qatar criticised for sending junior minister to annual meeting of Gulf states

Divisions among Gulf states were exposed when Saudi Arabia’s allies rounded on Qatar for snubbing a personal invite from King Salman and sending a relatively junior foreign minister to the annual Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting in Riyadh.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/09/gulf-divisions-widen-as-qatar-accused-of-snubbing-meeting

(A P)

Bahrain criticizes Qatar emir for not attending GCC summit

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gulf-qatar-bahrain/bahrain-criticizes-qatar-emir-for-not-attending-gcc-summit-idUSKBN1O80AT

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade

(A K)

#Turkish Zoraki EKOL 9mm PAK blank-firing submachine guns for sale in #Yemen with added accessories and attachments. These are often converted (sometimes unsuccessfully) to fire 9x19mm NATO rounds.

https://twitter.com/Silah_Report/status/1072642442116124674

My comment: Yemen is full of arms, little imports needed!

(* A K P)

UNO: Weitere Waffen iranischer Herstellung im Jemen entdeckt

Im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen sind nach UN-Angaben weitere mutmaßlich vom Iran produzierte Waffen gefunden worden. Die von Saudi-Arabien angeführte Militärkoalition im Jemen habe zwei Container-Starteinheiten für Panzerabwehrraketen beschlagnahmt; diese seien von UN-Vertretern begutachtet worden und wiesen "Eigenschaften iranischer Herstellung" auf, heißt es in einem Bericht von UN-Generalsekretär Antonio Guterres, der am Mittwoch im Sicherheitsrat diskutiert werden soll.

Die von Saudi-Arabien geführte Militärkoalition habe zudem teilweise demontierte Boden-Luft-Raketen beschlagnahmt, die ebenfalls von UN-Vertretern untersucht worden seien. "Die Eigenschaften scheinen mit denen iranischer Raketen übereinzustimmen", heißt es in dem UN-Bericht. Die Ermittlungen zur Herkunft der Waffen dauerten an.

https://www.welt.de/newsticker/news1/article185386608/Ruestung-UNO-Weitere-Waffen-iranischer-Herstellung-im-Jemen-entdeckt.html

(* A K P)

Two missile launchers found in Yemen appear to be from Iran: U.N.

Two launch units for anti-tank guided missiles recovered by a Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen appear to have been manufactured in Iran during 2016 and 2017, according to a confidential United Nations report seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

But U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres does not specifically state whether the discovery of the units in Yemen was a violation of a U.N. resolution that took effect in January 2016. It prevents Iran from importing and exporting arms or related materiel unless the Security Council has given approval.

“The Secretariat found that they had characteristics of Iranian manufacture and that their markings indicated production dates in 2016 and 2017,” Guterres said in his biannual report to the Security Council on the implementation of sanctions on Iran.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-un/two-missile-launchers-found-in-yemen-appear-to-be-from-iran-u-n-idUSKBN1OA225

My comment: Wait and see. There had been a lot of odd propaganda on supposed arms exports from Iran to the Houthis. The US targets Iran by such claims. And the US exports 10,000 times more weapons to Saudi Arabia and do not even realize the hypocrisy of its claims.

(* A K P)

New batch of 4 F-15SAs are en route on delivery to #SaudiArabia

https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1072082333874995200

Just landed at #RAF Lakenheath. #RSAF 1013, 1014, 1015 and 1019 F-15SAs. (photos)

https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1072158460106686465

My comment: And Britain also is supporting.

(* B K P)

A year in arms supplies to the Saudi/UAE coalition

Public protest and policy shift

But as the toll on the civilian population rose, 2018 saw a distinct shift in policy and practice amongst those arming the coalition. Under intense pressure from Amnesty International and other civil society organizations, journalists and parliamentarians, some states began cutting off arms supplies.

States recant on promises

States recant on promises

Shameful business-as-usual attitude

The events in Yemen pose a stark challenge to all those involved. The conduct of supplier states and companies in the face of likely war crimes is being subjected to ever closer scrutiny and vociferous protest. Amid some principled decisions on the part of mainly smaller states to stop supplying the coalition, the USA and the UK in particular, but also Spain, France and Italy, among others, have adopted a shameful business-as-usual attitude, undermining international law on arms transfers that they helped to create and committed to respect. Large corporations – like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems – are their willing partners in irresponsibility on an industrial scale.

Campaigners across the world must keep applying pressure on governments and companies.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2018/12/rights-today-2018-arms-trade/

My comment: No, it’s not “nearly 17,000 civilians have been killed or injured since the war began“, it’s 57,000 killed as a very low more realistic estimate.

(* B P)

Film: Watch how weapons ‘fall’ into the hands of Al-Qaeda in #Yemen, Just like they ‘fell’ into their hands in Syria, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.

[film by Deutsche Welle]

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1701562059949761

cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy

(A E P)

I hate to say this, but I told you so. The exchange rate of US $ has increased to 500+ YR and climbing. Sudden increase in #Yemen-i riyal value orchestrated & not sustainable. Without real reform and solid econ plan, manufactured "positive" fluctuations short lived.

https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/1072240782176858113

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

(* B T)

ISIS and al-Qaeda clash not only on the battlefield, but also in their propaganda

The hostilities and rivalry between the two organizations have not been confined to the battlefield; the groups’ mutual animosity has also manifested in their rhetoric and messaging.

For instance, in the recent 158th edition of al-Naba magazine, ISIS published an op-ed focusing on the alleged failure of other Islamist movements to advance the Sharia and protect Muslims from the Taghut (or “tyrani” – usually, though not exclusively, referring to secular Arab regimes or secular nationalist political parties), and “Western Crusaders” in the post-Arab Spring era.

https://thedefensepost.com/2018/12/11/isis-al-qaeda-clash-propaganda-opinion/

cp15 Propaganda

(A P)

Saudi Aid Helps over 21,000 Ailed Yemenis, Wounded Army Veterans

The medical air link established between Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the UAE is little heard of yet is increasingly helping Yemen’s sick and wounded receive treatment.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1501556/saudi-aid-helps-over-21000-ailed-yemenis-wounded-army-veterans

(A P)

Mohamed AlJabir, Saudi Ambassador to Yemen: UN envoy @OSE_Yemen and team maintaining positive atmosphere at #YemenTalks in Sweden to close gaps b/w government and #Houthis. I am working w/ my fellow ambassadors to support efforts. We are optimistic progress can help w/ restoration of Yemeni state, security, and stability

https://twitter.com/mohdsalj/status/1072500406322937857

Michael Aron, British Ambassador to Yemen: I share my Saudi colleagues' optimism. The atmosphere in Sweden is excellent. The @OSE_Yemen team are doing a great job. Now we need a successful outcome!

https://twitter.com/HMAMichaelAron/status/1072517277608755201

My comment: Compared to reality, this really is double propaganda bullshit.

(A P)

The world must condemn the Houthis for the Yemen crisis

Saudi Arabia is being unfairly targeted on the situation in Yemen with disregard to logic and the facts that everyone knows. The coalition forces are attempting to restore legitimacy in Yemen. Led by the Kingdom, they are fighting to prevent an outlaw militia gang controlled by outside forces from hijacking the legal institutions of the country.
The coalition wants to prevent Yemen from being used by foreign countries to carry out their criminal agendas. Saudi Arabia will never allow a backward organization and an agent of a terrorist country that is an enemy of the GCC and the Arab world to engineer a conspiracy against it, to impose its power in Yemen and then make it a launch pad for an attack on the Kingdom and neighboring countries.

http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/550033/Opinion/OP-ED/The-world-must-condemn-the-Houthis-for-the-Yemen-crisis

(A P)

Coalition fights cholera in Yemen

The coalition forces are working shoulder to shoulder with humanitarian players in Yemen to curb cholera outbreaks in the war-ravaged country, a UAE minister has said.

https://www.khaleejtimes.com/region/mena/coalition-fights-cholera-in-yemen

My comment: Such a propaganda is shameless. For a great part, coalition air raids and blockade directly are responsible for the cholera outbreak.

(A P)

Yemen thanks Saudi Arabia for food supply initiative

Yemen›s Minister of Local Administration and Chairman of the High Relief Committee Abed Araqib Fateh recently expressed his thanks to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) for their ongoing humanitarian support to all Yemenis.

http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/549927/SAUDI-ARABIA/Yemen-thanks-Saudi-Arabia-for-food-supply-initiative

My comment: Disgusting. AS before: For a great part, coalition air raids and blockade directly are responsible for the famine.

(A P)

Negotiating with Houthis: It is a crazy world

It is a crazy world. The government, under pressure from the international government is negotiating with Houthis for peace.

As a savage local Jihadist movement, the Houthis barbecued the genitals of government soldiers arrested during the on and off fighting with the Saleh regime. They chopped off the genitals as well as limbs of these soldiers, burned them and then killed the mutilated soldiers.

The Houthis have tortured hundreds of civilians to death or permanent disability. They focused most of their wrath on journalists, in totality wiping out even verbal dissent in their areas of control.

They have been besieging a city of two million people, Taiz, for nearly four years, causing large numbers of people to die slowly of hunger and a broad range of diseases.

Thy have filled the Yemeni virgin land with landmines over the past four years.

Now the UN has rolled out the negotiations, the government is participating and some people are seriously watching and expecting something from the talks! It is a real crazy world.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-25958

My comment: This is blaming the Sweden talks and any peace talks in general. The author wants war, not peace. – Blaming the Houthis in this way will lead to nothing, only to even more war: All sides in this war had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. In a better world, all sides in this war should be forced to cede power and should face charges for their crimes. But, reality is different. Unfortunately, peace depends on exactly those criminals of both (or better: all) sides of this war. – Spreading such propaganda as this author does, is a crime for itself.

(A P)

@lovindubai sending out propaganda on #Dubai “Arab Social Media Influencers Summit” but blocks those pointing out UAE and Gulf jailing, torture, even murder of #Arab social media influencers... blocking is the least of it I guess (image)

https://twitter.com/sarahleah1/status/1072080706795388928

(A P)

Iranian Forces in Yemen Demand Arms Smuggling Routes Be Opened

Yemen-Houthi peace talks stumble amid Houthi calls for attacks on Israel

Iranian-backed forces in Yemen are demanding the reopening of the country's international airport, a stumbling block in tense negotiations taking place this week between warring factions in Sweden, according to U.S. officials and Western sources on the ground who told the Washington Free Beacon this demand by Iran's Houthi rebels would allow Tehran to continue importing weapons and militants in an area of the Middle East that leaves Israel vulnerable to attack.

Sources say the Houthi side is essentially aiming to turn the Sana'a airport into a hub like Beirut, which is under the thumb of Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, but is still treated as an internationally endorsed transport hub.

https://freebeacon.com/national-security/iranian-forces-yemen-demand-arms-smuggling-routes-stay-open/

My comment: At the first glimpse, I thought this must be a satirical website, as the propaganda narrative is exaggerated this much – but it actually is not! On thie website, look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Free_Beacon .

(A P)

From my experience, areas under the control of the legitimate govt are easiest locations to implement humanitarian aid projects. There is cooperation from the govt officials (on the ground, also outside of #Yemen) to lessen suffering of people. Small issues, but overall, great.

https://twitter.com/ToEducate/status/1072156175242838016

My comment: Really? Security is horrible all over the “areas under the control of the [so-called] legitimate govt”.

(A P)

It is a very easy issue to solve if Houthis agree to understand that their control over Yemeni territories by force is illegal. Militias should not have control over an important and strategic location and port. It’s dangerous and illogical.

https://twitter.com/ToEducate/status/1072161909913337856

My comment: „It is a very easy issue. I win, you loose. Just agree”. – A “government versus militia” narrative is propaganda. The Houthgis have formed a government of their own, at least this is the of two rivaling governments (in fact, there are even more). And both governments militarily depend on militia.

(A P)

What’s at stake in Yemen affects us all

Unfortunately, calls to “stop the Yemen war,” though morally satisfying, are fundamentally misguided. They ignore what is at stake in the Yemen conflict and the true identity of the warring parties. A precipitous disengagement by the Saudi-led coalition from militarily backing the UN-backed government of Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi in the Yemeni civil war would have calamitous consequences for Yemen, the Middle East and the world at large.

Everybody seems to have forgotten that the conflict was triggered in late 2014 when the Houthis, backed by Iran, toppled the Yemeni government and took over large areas of the country.

Because the Houthis have been fighting in a way that deliberately places civilians at risk, Yemen has experienced dire security and humanitarian circumstances.

Even as the U.S. administration lauded “de-escalation” in its rhetoric, Syria and its Russian and Iranian patrons simply consolidated their position and continued their military campaign.

A similar scenario will unfold in Yemen if the Saudi-led coalition were to cease operations. Iran’s long arm, the Houthis, would march on coalition-liberated areas and exact a bloody toll on the populations.

Having an Iranian satellite armed with Iranian ballistic missiles on the Saudi doorstep would pose an intolerable threat to the kingdom, comparable to having the Soviet Union seize control of Mexico during the Cold War – by Mohammed Khalid Alyahya, a Saudi Arabian political analyst, commentator and senior fellow at theGulf Research Cente

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/420375-whats-at-stake-in-yemen-affects-us-all

My comment: This really is odd propaganda. Might-be the best: Mentioning Mexico. Well, what about Ukraine, controlled by the US?

(A P)

Ernst warns resolution to punish Saudis could hurt Yemen peace talks

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) warned on Tuesday that a resolution to withdraw American military support for Saudi Arabia’s efforts in the Yemeni civil war could hinder peace talks in the region.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/11/ernst-senate-resolution-yemen-1056795

My comment: No more arms exports block peace. Is she on crack?

(A P)

Iran not interested in Yemen peace, says US State Department official

UAE security forum on Yemen looks beyond current peace talks to post-conflict stabilisation

Iran does not appear interested in a long-term peace settlement in Yemen, a US State Department official has told The National.

Timothy Lenderking, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arabian Gulf Affairs, spoke on Sunday at the third UAE Security Forum at New York University Abu Dhabi, where officials and policymakers met to address the challenges of peace and reconstruction in Yemen.

Mr Abulahoum, a leading politician and social figure in Yemen, had arrived in Abu Dhabi directly from Stockholm, where he was participating in the talks.

The Yemeni government needed to shoulder some responsibility for the country’s situation and for allowing the Houthi rebellion to grow in strength, he said.

https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/iran-not-interested-in-yemen-peace-says-us-state-department-official-1.800871

My comment: This “forum” was a well-paid propaganda bullshit event.

(A P)

More Saudi coalition “We are benefactors” propaganda

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-delivery-second-installment-saudi-oil-derivatives-yemen-completed

(B P)

Discord of War in Yemen: Is Liberating Hodeidah Strategic?

As uncertainties continue to unfold, long-term peacebuilding in Yemen requires high-cost sacrifices in the short-term. Today, Hodeidah is caught between the Houthi terrorism and a global humanitarian failure. The present offensive is constrained, and the Houthi defeat delayed. To the Houthis, Hodeidah is a supply artery for survival at best and a negotiation stick at worst. Once the port is liberated, they are debilitated militarily, financially and politically favouring the UN-led Yemen Peace Process and millions in dire need of relief aids. It is therefore in London’s interest to allow Hodeidah’s liberation to fulfil the UNSCR 2216 (2015) and enhance Griffiths’ chances to succeed as the third UN envoy.

If Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have made a political decision to liberate Hodeida with strategic support as a part and parcel of an overall strategy, the liberation will enhance the prospects of the UN-led peace process and relief efforts. It will also likely strengthen the status quo of the internationally legitimate government, mobilise public support vis-à-vis the Houthis within Houthi-controlled territories and speed up ‘Yemen Peace Process’ more constructively. That unresolved, Hodeidah could likely become another Aden or Aleppo.

My comment: This is really putting upside down, by the simple narrative: The others are the bad guys and ours are the good guys. – And this is hidden behind a “requires high-cost sacrifices in the short-term” story.

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* A K pH)

Saudi coalition air raids day by day

Dec. 11: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1544617479./1197335930416770/

Dec. 10: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1544617479./1197334617083568/

Dec. 9: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1544451375./1195548973928799/

Dec. 8: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1544451375./1195519357265094/

Dec. 7: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1544451375./1195518900598473/

Dec. 6: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1195517737265256/

Dec. 5: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1195516910598672/

(A K pH)

52 saudi-led airstrikes hit provinces over 48 hours in coincidence with peace talks: army's Spokesman

The attacks targeted intensively Najran, Saada, Hodeidah, Hajjah and Marib provinces, causing heavy damage among the citizens' properties.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news518631.htm

(B H)

Yemen: Passengers Transport Overview - Djibouti - Aden - Djibouti, November 2018

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-passengers-transport-overview-djibouti-aden-djibouti-november-2018

(A K pH)

Child wounded in Saudi-led airstrike on Hodeidah

The airstrike hit al-Maghras area of Tuhayta district

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news518324.htm

film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSockoN6gOo = https://twitter.com/almasirah/status/1071808003840634880

photos: https://twitter.com/MOH_Speaker_Y/status/1071803712719466496

(A K pH)

Film: Mohammed Abadi, the father of martyrs of the crime of Dahyan, Saada province 09-12-2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL3-ox9350o

(A K pH)

The crime of aggression in the Directorate of Tahita in Hodeidah province 09-12-2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSockoN6gOo

(A K pH)

More Saudi coalition air raids recorded on:

Dec. 11:

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4310&cat_id=1 Hodeidah p.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news518571.htm Marib p.

Dec. 10:

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news518447.htm and https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4280&cat_id=1 Hodeidah p.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news518436.htm Hajjah p.

http://www.yemenipress.net/archives/129371 Hodeidah, Hajjah, Saada p.

Dec. 9:

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news518319.htm Hajjah p.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4256&cat_id=1 Nehm, Sanaa p.; Saada p.

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

Siehe / Look at cp1b

(B K)

New map update of northern Yemen battle

Over the last three weeks, the Nihm District of eastern Sana’a has witnessed some of the most intense clashes inside the war-torn country.

Despite the intense clashes in the Nihm District, very little ground has been gained by either side at this volatile front.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/new-map-update-of-northern-yemen-battle/

(A K pS)

Gov’ Forces downing a Houthi drone over Al-Dale

http://almasdaronline.com/articles/162032

(* B K pS)

22,000 mines cleared by Masam project from several Yemeni provinces

Masam Project of Landmine Clearance has managed to clear over 22,000 landmines planted by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in several Yemeni governorates.

About 16,000 sea mines have been rooted up and destroyed in Hajjah coasts last month , the Media Center of the Fifth Military Region stated.

The center said that these sea mines were planted by the Houthis in the coasts of Midi, Abas and the international territorial water, pointing out that military experts of the Arab Coalition ruined them.

Yemeni farmers in Hairan district of Hajjah governorate have expressed their shock after hundreds of landmines were planted inside their farms.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-25960

(A K pH)

In Taiz, a child was critically injured by US-Saudi mercenaries' gunshots in Maweah district

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4305&cat_id=1

(A K pH)

Army fires Zilzal-1 Missile on saudi-led mercenaries In Najran (Saudi Arabia)

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news518437.htm

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970919000556

(A K pH)

Woman injured in saudi-led mercenaries' shelling in Taiz

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news518322.htm

(A K pH)

More Saudi coalition shelling recorded on:

Dec. 10:

http://www.yemenipress.net/archives/129371 Saada p.

Dec. 9:

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news518318.htm Saada p.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news518330.htm Lahj p.

Dec. 8:

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news518200.htm Saada p.

Vorige / Previous:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-489-yemen-war-mosaic-489

Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-489 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-489:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm

Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:

(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)

http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm

http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/

http://www.yemenwar.info/

und alle Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:

http://yemendataproject.org/data/

Dieser Beitrag gibt die Meinung des Autors wieder, nicht notwendigerweise die der Redaktion des Freitag.
Geschrieben von

Dietrich Klose

Vielfältig interessiert am aktuellen Geschehen, zur Zeit besonders: Ukraine, Russland, Jemen, Rolle der USA, Neoliberalismus, Ausbeutung der 3. Welt

Dietrich Klose

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