Jim Mattis, in Saudi Visit, Calls for Political Solution in Yemen
Human rights officials have warned that bombing Al Hudaydah could lead to a humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and Mr. Mattis’s remarks were in line with those of many officials in the region
that the Saudi coalition’s war against the Houthis, begun two years ago, cannot be won militarily.
"So what we can do here today could actually open the door possibly to bringing our president to Saudi Arabia." Mr. Trump would certainly be more welcome than Mr. Obama, who forged a nuclear deal with Iran over the objections of Saudi Arabia
and its Sunni Gulf allies, and whose administration publicly criticized the high, and growing, civilian death toll in the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen.
And even if Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Arab allies do wrest control of Al Hudaydah from the Houthis, "it seems likely
that the Houthis could lose the port but keep it insecure," Mr. Alterman said.
By HELENE COOPERAPRIL 19, 2017
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called on Wednesday for a political solution in Yemen between Sunni Arabs, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, and Iranian-backed Houthis,
but he stopped short of publicly warning America’s Sunni allies against a planned bombing campaign targeting the port city of Al Hudaydah.
While officials say the United States is sympathetic to the Emirati view
that military pressure can force the Houthis to return to the bargaining table, Middle East experts and Western diplomats in the region say that the Saudis’ real aim is to force a Houthi surrender.
Mattis said that In Yemen, our goal is to push this conflict into U.N.-brokered negotiations to make sure it is ended as soon as possible,
Many of Yemen’s food shipments also come through Al Hudaydah, and international humanitarian officials have warned
that a sustained bombing of the city will deepen the country’s already severe food shortages.
