OMAN SAYS READY TO HELP UNITED NATIONS RESOLVE CRISIS IN YEMEN

Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs. (Photo: Times of Oman) — **Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs: Oman is ready to help the United Nations mediate in Yemen’s war** (Photo: Times of Oman)

Muscat, 18 Jumadil Akhir 1436/7 April 2015 (MINA) – Oman is ready to help the United Nations mediate in Yemen’s war, the Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs said on Thursday, but the combatants show no signs they are ready to hold talks on ending the week-old war.

Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah said Oman had previously passed messages between Yemen’s Houthis and their Saudi foes, but neither had sought out such contact since Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations began air strikes against the Houthis on March 26.

Although Oman could help the United Nations bring them to a “roundtable”, he said peace efforts should be taken up at the U.N. Security Council, the world’s top security body, and hosted somewhere outside the Middle East, Times of Oman quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

“The U.N. is an organization that has been tasked to maintain peace for all the powers involved, although we will not hesitate to play a role in order to help Yemenis, to help the United Nations, to encourage both parties involved in the crisis to come to a roundtable and discuss their own future,” he added.

Oman, which traditionally seeks to play a conciliator role in a turbulent region, is the only Gulf Arab country to sit out the Saudi-led bombing campaign. The Houthis regard it as neutral and hence potentially as an acceptable mediator.

“Oman has distanced itself from the war, and this is a wise decision,” a member of the Houthi politburo, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, told Reuters.

“Oman is not part of that campaign for simple reasons — Oman is a nation of peace,” Alawi told Reuters. “We cannot work on peace efforts at the same time we would be part of a military campaign. Those two things do not meet.”

For now, he said, the warring parties “are still not ready (for dialogue).”

Alawi said Oman “understood” the situation which had led to the Saudi-led campaign, but ” … in order to lead Yemen to the future (both parties) should be free from any influence, except the influence of their own people.” (T/P011/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)