KSA to acquit itself from US coalition, eyes peace with Yemen: NYT

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The New York Times
25 Dec 2023 17:45
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A New York Times report sheds light on the drawbacks of Saudi Arabia's involvement in the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, as it seeks other strategic goals.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets Russian President Vladimir Putin at the al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on December 6, 2023 (AP)

Saudi Arabia prefers to observe developments from the sidelines, as the United States rushes to take action through a naval coalition, aimed at thwarting the operations of the Yemeni Armed Forces in the Red Sea, according to a report by The New York Times.

Riyadh aims to prioritize the potential for peace along its southern border with Yemen, over engaging in a potential US-led aggression in the region.

That is the take offered by the Gulf bureau chief for NYT, Vivian Nereim, who argued that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is reportedly uninterested in being drawn back into a wide conflict with Yemen, as indicated by Saudi and American officials.

"To have a stable region, you need economic development in the whole region," MBS stated during a television interview in September — just before the commencement of Israeli aggression on Gaza — when Saudi officials received Sanaa's national delegation in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. "You don’t need to see problems in Yemen."

MBS seeks exit from Yemen

While MBS attempts to forward a so-called comprehensive plan to reform Saudi Arabia into a "global business hub by 2030", Riyadh has concentrated efforts to reestablish diplomatic relations with entities that it had shunned as adversaries.

According to Saudi officials and analysts, the resurgence of Yemeni missile attacks on Saudi Arabia's most prized assets or bombardment on positions in southern Saudi towns, a relatively frequent event during the peak of the war on Yemen, is the least desirable future route for MBS.

This is particularly true as his government aims to persuade tourists and investors of Saudi Arabia's readiness to conduct business.

Riyadh looks to turn the page

Saudi Arabia found itself struggling to find a way out of a nine-year-long aggression after it formed a coalition that included Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, and secured the backing of Western power, spearheaded by the United States, to achieve political goals in Yemen.

Embroiling its aggression with bombastic titles such as "Decisive Storm" and "Restoring Hope," Saudi Arabia, and MBS specifically, were sure that they could achieve their goals in a matter of months.

However, Saudi Arabia and its main partner, the United Arab Emirates, were forced into reducing the scale of their military aggression on Yemen in 2022 after failing to break the will of the Yemeni Armed Forces, and popular mobilization forces.

In 2023, Saudi officials initiated peace talks with the Sanaa government, seeking a permanent ceasefire and an end to its involvement in the aggression. Similarly, two days ago, Yemeni parties agreed to a fresh truce and to participate in a UN-led peace process to end the war. After several meetings with the parties in Saudi Arabia and Oman, UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg's office issued a statement, on December 23, saying he "welcomes the parties' commitment to a set of measures to implement a nationwide ceasefire... and (to) engage in preparations for the resumption of an inclusive political process under UN auspices."

Ready to ignore YAF's operations

The US's recent efforts to mobilize nations against the Yemeni Armed Forces, come in the context of the latter's operations, which targeted Israeli-owned ships and vessels heading to Israeli ports via the Red Sea. Although the YAF, reiterated on multiple occasions that the operations are limited to "Israel"-bound vessels sailing in the Arabian Sea and the Red Sed, the US has launched a naval coalition, under the pretext of guarding international maritime routes.

Saudi Arabia was among those expected to join in on the US's efforts, however, such a step would hinder and overturn its efforts to move forward with a peace plan agreed to with Sanaa officials, as highlighted by the NYT report.