Almasirah:Will Saudi Arabia This Time Be Honest in Resolving Prisoners' Issue with Sanaa?

Will Saudi Arabia This Time Be Honest in Resolving Prisoners' Issue with Sanaa?

Yemen: Both Sanaa and Riyadh signed the final list of prisoners before their delegations left to their countries, after mutual visits that lasted 4 days, during which they were able to correct the prisoners’ data and solve many problems in this regard, in the hope of concluding a comprehensive exchange deal.

While the Saudi party had refrained from making any statement about the results of the visit until writing this article, the head of the National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs in Sana’a, Abdul Qader Al-Murtada, considered that it had yielded “positive results that solved a large part of the problems related to the prisoners’ issue and the lists between us and the Saudi side.”

He added: "However, there are obstacles and problems with the Yemeni mercenary parties... and the Saudi side has pledged to work on solving them, pending the resolution of all problems, the prisoners' issues remain suspended between optimism and fears of failure again.

In order not to be overly pessimistic, we will mention the positive indicators achieved by the mutual visits between Sana’a and Riyadh regarding the prisoners’ issue, as follows:

1 - The visit is the first of its kind. It represented a surprise and a glimmer of hope at the same time to solve the most complex humanitarian issues.

2 - It showed positivity after the end of the truce and the blockage of the political horizon.

3 - It brought the prisoners' issue back to the fore after a stalemate that lasted for years since the Sweden agreement.

4 - Solved many problems related to the prisoners issue, lists and statements between Sanaa and Riyadh.

5- Riyadh pledged, through the military spokesman of the coalition, Turki Al-Maliki, "to continue to make all efforts to return all prisoners of war from both sides and to end this issue."

6- The Riyadh team pledged to solve the obstacles and problems that still exist between Sana'a and the mercenary parties in the west coast, Marib and the southern governorates with regard to the prisoners' issue.

On the other hand, there are fears that the visits will be a Saudi tactic to add an atmosphere of positivity in light of the failure of the extension and the hardening of positions towards the rest of the humanitarian issues including salaries, Hodiedah port and Sanaa airport without progress.

It is not possible to trust Riyadh’s commitment to all its pledges to resolve the issue, either from its side or from the side of the mercenaries, whom it pledged to persuade or rather obligate them to overcome the problems with Sanaa regarding the issue, unless concrete practical steps are presented.

These fears are justified, as the coalition did not announce in the statement of the visit, whether the mercenaries were a party to the deal or not. In the same statement, the coalition described the humanitarian prisoners issue as a political one, saying that the visit came as a “goodwill initiative as part of confidence-building efforts to extend the truce in Yemen.”

However, Sana’a confirmed that the visit was a translation of “the mechanism for verifying the statements that were agreed upon in the last Amman round,” and denied the mutual visits’ relationship with “any other political discussion or dialogue.” .

Regarding the public opinions, some Yemenis expressed their dissatisfaction with allowing a Saudi delegation representing an aggressor country to visit the capital, Sana'a, even if it was under the humanitarian title. However, in return it gave a glimmer of hope to the majority of the Yemeni people, and was met with many wishes that it would be crowned with success in resolving one of the most complex war issues.

US-Saudi Aggression, mercenaries: who owns the decision?

What is worth mentioning is that Riyadh is negotiating directly with Sanaa, and this can be read from two sides: Either everyone, and we mean here the UAE and all the mercenary factions, authorized Saudi Arabia to take the decision on their behalf, as it is the “leader of the Arab coalition,” as they describe. Or, all the mercenaries in the west coast, Marib and the southern governorates have no decision at all, and it is the one who decides for them!

In conclusion, it is not possible to prejudge whether the deal will be completed or not, but there is cautious optimism, because the mutual visits preceded the inciting Security Council session on Yemen, and came after shuttle visits by UN Representative Hans Grandberg and US envoy Tim Linderking, with the aim of extending the truce.

Regarding the US-Saudi quarrel against the background of the “OPEC +” decision to reduce oil exports, the hope is that Riyadh will be its own master, decide away from American dictates, and make all efforts to solve the prisoners’ issue and other issues, and get out of its strategic dilemma in Yemen.

For Sanaa, it owns its decision, and just as it is ready to resume its operations in the strategic depth of the US-Saudi aggression, it is ready for a true, honorable and just peace, and expresses its keenness to solve the prisoners’ issue as an urgent humanitarian issue.

Sana’a has presented 10 initiatives since 2019, and submitted to the United Nations in April an initiative for the mutual release of 200 prisoners from each party at the beginning of the year ahead of the blessed Eid al-Fitr, as a prelude to completely resolving this issue. It has released over a thousand prisoners, including young children, as a goodwill gesture.

On the other hand, the coalition of aggression did not deal positively with all the goodwill initiatives offered by Sanaa. Rather, the aggression deliberately bombed places that housed prisoners who fought with it, and its coordinates are with the United Nations.

Based on all this, we will not be overly optimistic until Riyadh takes a practical step that proves its good intentions, and today it is at stake. Will you believe this time?

Source Al-Mayadeen translated by Almasirah English website

#US_Saudi_Aggression #Prisoners_Exchange About 1 year