Yemen Monitor/ Sana’a/ Exclusive:
The Houthi armed group announced on Tuesday that it is ready to sign an economic agreement with its rivals, the internationally recognized government.
This came during a meeting between Jamal Amer, the Houthi Foreign Minister (not internationally recognized), and the economic advisor to the UN envoy, Dirk-Jan Omtzigt, in Sana’a.
Amer said his group is serious about working on a solution to the economic file “but the cart should not be put before the horse, and attention should be paid to holding meetings and consultations that are not fruitful.”
He did not provide further details about the nature of the agreement but indicated that there was a vision presented by the United Nations.
Last July, the United Nations announced that the Houthis and the Yemeni government had agreed on measures to de-escalate in the banking and aviation sectors, including canceling decisions and procedures of the central bank in Aden and Sana’a, resuming the operation of aviation, and opening new destinations.
The central bank in Aden had issued a decision to suspend the licenses of 6 of the largest banks in the country operating in areas controlled by the Houthi group after it refused to transfer its headquarters to Aden, while the group responded by banning dealings with 13 banks in government-controlled areas.
The agreement also stipulated the start of meetings to discuss all economic and humanitarian issues based on a roadmap, which includes paying salaries in Houthi areas, resuming oil and gas exports, opening roads, and opening airports in Houthi areas.
Amer called for real guarantees to be in place in order to sign the economic agreement “and to ensure its implementation.”
The roadmap is the product of consultations between the Houthis and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, while government officials say they were not consulted about it. Experts say the agreement rewards the Houthis and is likely to provide incentives for the armed group to find a temporary settlement with its rivals in southern Yemen. The roadmap would also provide money to help alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people, who rely heavily on dwindling supplies of foreign food aid.
