US, Saudi Arabia discuss 'urgent' need to end Yemen fighting

[bemildred]

US President Barack Obama and Saudi Arabia's King Salman said there was an "urgent " need to end fighting in Yemen. The two leaders also spoke of "the importance of ensuring that assistance can reach Yemenis on all sides of the conflict," the White House reported on Tuesday.

Obama emphasized his government's commitment to "building the capabilities of our regional partners" and to counter Iran's destabilizing activities in the region. Teheran is believed to be supporting the Shiite Houthi rebels, who have seized control over large parts of northern Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa.

The rebels ousted President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in September, forcing him to seek asylum in Saudi Arabia.

In March, Riyadh began targeting the rebels with airstrikes and dropped arms to local forces fighting the Shiite militia. Sanaa's Saudi-backed forces were also successful in recapturing the international airport in Aden on Tuesday.

http://www.dw.com/en/us-saudi-arabia-discuss-urgent-need-to-end-yemen-fighting/a-18584371

[bemildred]

1. Hadi loyalists seize more ground in Yemen's Aden

ADEN - Loyalists of Yemen's exiled president seized more ground in second city Aden on Wednesday after recapturing the airport held by Iran-backed rebels for four months, military sources said.

The offensive, dubbed Operation Golden Arrow, is the first major advance by the loyalists since the Huthi rebels entered the port city in March, forcing President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi into exile in neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

Despite an appeal from US President Barack Obama to King Salman of Saudi Arabia for an urgent end to the fighting, Saudi-led warplanes carried out six raids on rebel positions before dawn, witnesses and military sources said.

Popular Resistance fighters -- a southern militia that has been the mainstay of support for Hadi -- recaptured the provincial government headquarters in the Mualla district by Aden's main commercial port, militia spokesman Ali al-Ahmadi said.

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=72236

[think]

2. Maybe they could start by quitting their support of dictatorial rule in Yemen

Yemen loses a dictator, but not his shadow

By Andrew G. Reiter FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Yemen elected a new president this week, but one of the conditions for the vote was complete amnesty for the ousted longtime dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh. Whether that amnesty will eventually be overturned has implications for Yemen, and other dictators in the region.

SOUTH HADLEY, MASS. — After 33 years, Yemen is finally rid of its autocratic ruler, Ali Abdullah Saleh – but not necessarily free of his shadow.

With hope in their hearts, Yemenis surged to the polls this week to elect his replacement as president, the US-backed Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Mr. Hadi holds the possibility for a peaceful transition in this fourth country to lose a dictator in the Arab Spring uprising.

But Mr. Hadi was vice president in the Saleh regime as well as the only candidate on the ballot. And there’s another problematic side to this election. Mr. Saleh, who is in the United States receiving medical treatment, will not be going to jail, at least not for the foreseeable future.

To smooth the path to his departure, Yemen’s parliament granted him a broad amnesty. It covers all crimes committed by Saleh during his entire rule, including the killings of hundreds of protesters over the last year....

Full editorial:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2012/0223/Yemen-loses-a-dictator-but-not-his-shadow

Yemen's Former Dictator Is Still Pulling Strings In Current Conflict

By Nick Robins - 03/30/2015 6:09 pm EDT

When Ali Abdullah Saleh came to power in Yemen in 1978, analysts at the CIA predicted that he wouldn't last six months. Almost 40 years later, Saleh is still a political force to be reckoned with.

Saleh, now 73 years old, occupies a unique place among the old guard of authoritarian leaders in the Middle East and North Africa. As the wave of uprisings across the region left heads of state imprisoned or dead, Saleh opted amid massive government protests in 2012 to negotiate for immunity and resign his post after 33 years as president. But while the deal took Saleh from power, it didn't take the power from Saleh.

He remained one of the biggest power brokers in the country. Saleh's successor, current President Abd-Rabo Mansour Hadi, has accused the ousted leader of leveraging his influence to destabilize the transitional government and back rebel groups. The United States, which supports President Hadi, has expressed similar concerns.

Full article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/30/yemen-war-saleh_n_6970580.html

[KoKo]

3. I can't find any info to back it up...

But I wonder if the Iran Deal also has a backroom deal between US & Saudi's. WH Spokesperson Josh Earnest was saying last week that Obama was continuing talks with the Saudi's that began in Camp David. I thought it was so interesting that young "Prince Salman" (the Defense Minister) came to Camp David. Being "fly on the wall" would have been helpful.

Although whats going on in Yemen would seem to say "Peace" in Yemen wasn't in the deal...given what's still going on. Still...something between US and Saudi's in that Iran deal keeps popping up in my thinking.

I also wonder if Hezbollah will get help in Lebanon in the Iran Deal and be taken off the terrorist list since they are useful against ISIL.

And, reading this from your post makes me worry that starving the Yemini's out is purposeful or accidental...

Meanwhile, incessant fighting has delayed the delivery of medical supplies and food to Yemen's people after Saudi Arabia violated a United Nations-brokered six-day truce.

The UN has declared a level-3 humanitarian emergency in Yemen, the highest in its scale. More than 21.1 million people in the country need aid. At least 13 million are suffering from a shortage of food and over 9 million people have limited access to water.