Houthi fighters set for Saudi peace talks

Yemen's Houthi fighters have expressed readiness to hold peace talks with neighboring Saudi Arabia if Riyadh halts its attacks.

The Houthi fighters also released a statement that says they'll also halt operations against Saudi Arabia if the country ceases its attacks.

"If Saudi aggression stops and there is a real will towards security and stability... then we do not attack anyone that does not attack us," the Houthi fighters said on their website on Thursday.

"We reiterate ... our support for dialogue and a language of understanding to resolve all differences," they added.

According to the Houthis, Saudi Arabia must prove that it wants peace and stability in Yemen, and that it respects the rights of the Yemeni people.

The conflict in northern Yemen began in 2004 between Sana'a and the Houthi fighters. The conflict intensified in August 2009 when the Yemeni army launched Operation Scorched Earth in an attempt to crush the fighters in the northern province of Sa'ada.

The government accuses the fighters of breaking the terms of a ceasefire by taking foreign visitors hostage in 2009.

The Houthis on the other hand accuse the Yemeni government of the violation of their civil rights, their political, economic and religious marginalization as well as large-scale corruption.

Riyadh joined Yemen's offensive against the Houthi fighters in November and vowed to continue its raids.

The fighters accuse Riyadh of targeting civilian areas far from the Saudi-Yemeni border. They say the attacks have so far left scores of civilians dead and thousands of others displaced.

As the Yemeni government does not allow independent media into the conflict zone, there are no clear estimates available as to how many people have been killed since the beginning of the unrest in 2004 or in the recent wave of violence.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115098§ionid=351020206.