US praises Oman's important role in Yemen peace efforts

Muscat: The US State Department on Friday welcomed the arrival of a senior Houthi delegation to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is the first official visit by Houthi representatives to Riyadh since the war in Yemen began nearly a decade ago.

"It comes after nearly 18 straight months of calm that began after a UN-mediated truce first went into effect on April 2, 2022. President Biden, from his first weeks in office, has made de-escalating and ending the war in Yemen one of his top foreign policy priorities. The United States has been proud to lend our diplomatic support to these peace efforts in coordination with the Yemeni parties and the United Nations. We commend the leadership of Saudi Arabia for this current initiative and thank the leadership of Oman for its important role. We call on all parties to this terrible conflict to further solidify and expand on the benefits of the truce that has brought a measure of peace to the Yemeni people and ultimately bring this war to an end," an official statement.

The Yemeni government also welcomed the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, and the UN and international efforts aimed at pushing the Houthi militias towards seriously dealing with calls for peace and alleviating the human suffering of the Yemeni people.

The Yemeni government welcomed the efforts of the brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman and the UN and international efforts aimed at pushing the Houthi militias towards seriously dealing with calls for peace and alleviating the human suffering of the Yemeni people.

Houthi rebels said they hoped to overcome "challenges" on Friday as they head into unprecedented talks in Saudi Arabia aimed at ending their devastating eight-year war.

Their visit, five months after hosting a Saudi team in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, is the latest hopeful sign for a war that has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. "We hope that a serious discussion will take place in the interest of both peoples and that the challenges will be overcome," senior political leader Mohamed Ali al-Huthi posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, early on Friday.