'Very good start!': Trump offers support for Yemen power-sharing deal

RT
Tue, 05 Nov 2019 19:12 UTC

© Reuters/Saudi Press Agency

Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi • Mohammad bin Salman

US President Donald Trump has tweeted his enthusiasm for a power-sharing peace deal signed between Yemen's government and southern separatists and hailed as a step toward a broader political solution for the complicated conflict.

Trump tweeted Tuesday afternoon that the plan marked a "very good start" on solving the crisis. "Please all work hard to get a final deal," he added.

The Saudi-backed government in Yemen signed the deal to end the power struggle that had fractured the Saudi coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, which ousted the government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi from Sanaa in 2014. The southern separatists are supported by the United Arab Emirates, Riyadh's main coalition partner.

Riyadh's envoy to Yemen said the deal would involve the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) joining a new cabinet and that all armed forces will come under government control.

In a televised signing ceremony, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the pact could open "broader talks" between parties "to reach a political solution and end the war." Riyadh saw solving the crisis between the government and separatists as crucial in allowing it to focus on fighting the Houthis at its southern border.

The deal calls for the creation of a new cabinet of no more than 24 ministers within 30 days, with equal representation for northerners and southerners.

The deal has also been hailed by United Nations envoy Martin Griffiths as an important step toward bringing an end to a war that has pushed millions of Yemenis to the brink of famine.

Comment: Exiled since 2014, Yemeni President Hadi is Saudi Arabia's puppet and sticker face to justify its war in Yemen. This makes him complicit to the obliteration and starvation deaths of hundreds of thousands of his people. Involving Hadi in any sort of council deal, and/or power grab, will likely trigger the Houthis to intensify their response. Will it also trigger Iran? According to Assessing the Impact of War on Development in Yemen:

By the end of 2019, fighting in Yemen will have claimed about 102,000 lives. In addition, an estimated 131,000 Yemenis will have died from hunger, disease and the lack of health clinics and other infrastructure between 2015-2019. The estimated combined death toll from war and disease is a staggering 233K.

Stars and Stripes, November 5, 2019: Separatists sign deal to stop infighting

The two groups are in an alliance against Yemen's Houthi rebels. Tuesday's power-sharing deal allows for President Hadi to return to Aden and envisages a new Cabinet.

© BANDAR ALJALOUD/SAUDI ROYAL PALACE /AP

Yemeni Southern Transitional Council member and former Aden Governor Nasser al-Khabji and Yemen's deputy PM al-Khanbashi sign power-sharing deal in Riyadh, 5/11/2019.

[T]he separatists agreed to disband their militias, which would be integrated into Hadi's forces within three months. In return, the southern separatists are to take part in United Nations-brokered talks between Hadi's government and the Houthi rebels.

The agreement further dictates that both sides pull their forces out of Aden, and says all sides would be under the Saudi-led coalition's control. It leaves only a unit of the presidential guard in Aden to protect Hadi, while coalition forces will protect the southern separatists' leaders.

The agreement solves two short-term problems, if it can be successfully implemented. It prevents a war-within-a-war between the southern separatists and Hadi's government. It also provides more credibility to future government negotiations with the Houthis.

Attending the ceremony were Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Abu Dhabi's crown prince, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Also present was Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the head of the secessionist Southern Transitional Council.

Saudi Arabia has in the past weeks increased its military presence in southern Yemen, airlifting in additional troops, armored vehicles, tanks and other military equipment.