*RIYADH: *Saudi Arabia gave a cautious response Saturday to an unexpectedoffer from Yemen’s Houthi rebels to halt all attacks on the kingdom as partof an initiative to end their country’s devastating war.
The Houthi announcement Friday came on the eve of the fifth anniversary ofthe start of the conflict and after a wave of drone strikes on Saudi oilinstallations a week ago knocked out half of the kingdom’s production.
The Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks, butRiyadh’s ally Washington has condemned them as an “act of war”, placing theblame on Tehran and announcing new sanctions against the Islamic republic.
Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs Adel al-Jubeir took a scepticalposition to the announcement from Mehdi al-Mashat, head of the Houthis’supreme political council, of a “halt of all attacks against the territoryof Saudi Arabia”.
“We judge other parties by their deeds, actions and not by their words, sowe will see (whether) they actually do this or not,” said the Saudiminister.
“And regarding what prompted them to do this… we have to do more intensivestudies,” he said at a press conference in Riyadh.
At a ceremony in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Saturday marking the anniversaryof the 2014 rebel seizure of the city, the Houthis again urged Saudi Arabiato take up the offer.
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of the rebels’ Higher Revolutionary Committeeand an influential political figure, warned against rejecting the proposal.
“If they refuse the initiative we will do them more harm,” he said, addingthat “any escalation will be countered by further escalation”.
He spoke before tens of thousands of rebels and their supporters who weregathered in Sanaa for a “freedom and independence” rally that featuredspeeches, dances and poetry recitals honouring the fighters.
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Mashat had said that he hoped “the gesture would be answered by a strongergesture” from the Saudis, according to the rebels’ Al-Masirah televisionchannel.
“Pursuing war is not in anyone’s interest,” he added.
The plan calls for rebels to “stop all attacks on Saudi territory bydrones, ballistic missiles and other means”, he said.
He also urged the reopening of Sanaa’s international airport and openaccess to Yemen’s Red Sea port of Hodeida, a crucial entry point forimports and humanitarian aid.
The announcement was a sharp reversal from previous statements from theHouthis, who earlier on Friday had accused Saudi Arabia and its allies ofendangering the fragile truce around Hodeida with strikes on rebel targetsnorth of the port.
The Houthis have been fighting against a Saudi-led coalition thatintervened in 2015 to support the country’s internationally recognisedgovernment.
Iran denies US and Saudi accusations that it arms the Houthis. -APP/AFP
