FROM EIR DAILY ALERT
Pompeo Thanks Oman for Facilitating Talks To End the Yemen War
Dec. 20, 2018 (EIRNS)—U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with visiting Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah in Washington on Dec. 19, to discuss Oman’s efforts to mediate Yemen issues, Xinhua reported. Pompeo expressed his gratitude over Oman’s positive engagement on regional issues, including its role in helping facilitate UN consultations on Yemen in Sweden, according to a statement issued by the U.S. State Department.
On Dec. 13, the week-long Yemen peace talks concluded in Sweden with constructive progress for future dialogues. Pompeo hailed the peace talks as “encouraging” and “a pivotal first step” towards ensuring peace in the country. The ceasefire agreement reached between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels during the peace talks, went into effect in Hodeidah at midnight local time on Dec. 17.
The Sultanate of Oman has long pushed its preference for a political solution in Yemen, as opposed to the militarized approach used by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Moreover, the Saudi attacks on Yemen pose a security threat to neighboring Oman itself. Sharing 187 miles of border with Yemen, Oman’s southernmost governorate, Dhofar, is vulnerable to spillover effects from Yemen that could threaten peace in the Sultanate.
