The famous American newspaper, The Intercept, has raised concerns about the United States’ efforts to undermine peace efforts in Yemen and push for a return to war.
The newspaper, in a report by Ryan Grim, said that the United States is hindering peace negotiations in Yemen and effectively pushing for the resumption of the war.
The newspaper pointed out that all the parties involved in the war in Yemen, whether directly or indirectly—Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Houthis, China, Oman, Qatar, Jordan, and others—want to put the war behind them, but the United States does not want this war to end and sees that its proxies have been defeated on the battlefield, and they are in a bad negotiating position.
The newspaper indicated that Washington wants to undermine peace talks in Yemen because resuming war would unleash another Saudi-led bombing campaign that could win U.S. proxies better terms when it comes to controlling Yemen’s strategically positioned coast.
The newspaper also pointed to US envoy Tim Lenderking’s particularly pessimistic comments on the negotiations, such as “I don’t expect a permanent solution—and it can’t—to happen overnight to the conflict that has been going on for almost eight years in Yemen.” “The political process will take time and is probably experience numerous setbacks, but I remain optimistic that we have a real opportunity for peace.”
The newspaper responded to these comments, saying: “This sounds nice, but when you decipher the diplomacy, the most important observation is the prediction of “many setbacks” and the confidence that we “should not” expect a “permanent solution.”
The newspaper also mentioned Lenderking’s statement that ‘I don’t think we’re close to the finish line yet” and ‘I think there are significant challenges ahead. I think there’s still a great deal of mistrust between the two parties (the government of Sana’a and the Saudi-led coalition), and there’s a significant divide within Yemeni society itself.”
The newspaper also noted that Lenderking wishes to return the “great conflict” to Yemeni society, which has largely been resolved by the Houthi victory in the war. The goal is to give US and Saudi-backed proxies, who have largely worked from luxury hotels in Riyadh, a real place in the new Yemeni government. Therefore, the United States continues to press for a “comprehensive government” (the same phrase used with Afghanistan) and demands that the Taliban allow for its proxies there in exchange for the release of the nation’s foreign exchange reserves (Taliban warlords have already been paid to hand over the country to the US).
According to the newspaper, the United States continues to impose new conditions to hinder negotiations, such as requiring the talks to be transferred to the United Nations for a comprehensive deal.
The newspaper quoted Hassan Al-Tayeb, legislative director of Middle East policy at the Friends’ Committee on National Legislation, as saying that American rhetoric is causing tension and great worry, as America sets new conditions and works to slow down diplomatic progress.
And Al-Tayeb added, ‘I’m worried that they will utilize the notion that we need complete peace as a prerequisite for lifting the siege. Yes, a comprehensive solution is required, but the United States is not authorized to determine the terms or nature of peace. Yemenis should be able to determine their own future by themselves.”
Eric Sperling, executive director of ”Just Foreign Policy”, was more candid, as the newspaper recounts, seeing that the current reality shows that the Biden administration is more hardline on Yemen than Mohammed bin Salman’s brutal regime.
Lenderking Prefers to Continue the War Over Any Deal That Might Legitimize Houthis:
The newspaper confirmed that the main goal of envoy Lenderking is not to end the war, but to push the American and Israeli Crusade against Iran in the region. He prefers that the Saudis continue their brutal war and blockade against Yemen, even if it means exposing Saudi security to risk, over a deal that might legitimize de facto authorities in Yemen. “If the United States succeeds in achieving its goal of thwarting the Saudi-Houthi deal and the war escalates, it will once again have the blood of Yemenis on its hands.”
According to the newspaper, even if the State Department seriously believes that lengthy talks will lead to a more lasting peace, the longer the talks are delayed while the blockade remains in effect, the more likely it is that hostilities will resume. The “Houthis” Ansarullah are likely to launch cross-border attacks in Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia will respond with a devastating round of bombing. Then US proxies will get a bigger share of Yemen in peace talks when they start again from the midst of the rubble.”
