Saudi ambassador says kingdom protected Yemen from becoming ‘failed state’

Saudi ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Said Al Jaber said Saudi Arabia’s help to Yemen’s legitimate government on the military and diplomatic fronts has made the recent negotiations feasible noting that if the Kingdom had done nothing, Yemen would have become a “failed state, divided between an Iranian proxy force and other terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda and ISIS.”

In in an op-ed entitled “The Saudis Want Peace in Yemen” published in The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, Jaber said that “he found renewed hope” in the recent negotiations in Sweden between the Houthis and the delegation of Yemen’s legitimate government. However, he added: “As someone who has attended every mediation effort, I see the agreements reached in Sweden as encouraging. But words are not enough. The Houthis have repeatedly violated cease-fires and ignored their negotiators’ promises.”

Jaber said the Kingdom wants Yemen to make the most from this new chance for peace, noting that “this means no more rationalizing of Houthi violations, whether the orders come from Sana’a or Tehran.”

He added that the Kingdom’s aim in Yemen is restoring unity and stability under legitimacy.

“Saudi Arabia’s goal in Yemen is the restoration of Yemen’s unity, independence, sovereignty and stability, under a legitimate and recognized government that can serve the Yemeni people. This month’s diplomatic progress, almost unthinkable until recently, should inspire optimism in everyone. We must all work together to bring peace to Yemen,” he added.

Jaber recounted that the framework for peace is UN Security Council Resolution 2216 which requires the Houthis to “immediately and unconditionally” halt violence, exit Sana’a and other seized areas, hand over their missiles and other weapons, quit threatening neighboring countries and stop recruiting child soldiers.