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Riyadh intends to declare the eight-year conflict over by the end of Ramadan after talks with the Houthis, multiple sources have said. Hopes abound for a deal on a “permanent ceasefire” with Houthi leaders by the end of April, after Tehran and Riyadh formally restored diplomatic relations in a historic breakthrough deal.

A delegation representing Saudi Arabia and Oman is due to meet with the Houthi leadership in Sanaa next week to sign a permanent ceasefire ending the eight-year war in Yemen, several outlets have reported, citing officials familiar with the talks.

Sources told Reuters that an agreement could be announced by April 20, the eve of the Muslim holiday of Eid-al Fitr which marks the end of Ramadan.

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg was in Muscat earlier this week, where he met with senior Omani and Houthi officials to discuss the peace process.

On Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition lifted its naval blockade of Yemen, allowing most ships to dock directly in Aden and other southern ports without stopping in Jeddah for security checks. The blockade was imposed in 2015, when a Saudi-led coalition invaded Yemen on behalf of the government the Houthis had deposed. 

Meanwhile, the Lebanon-based outlet Al-Mayadeen reported that Riyadh had summoned leaders of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government on Friday, to brief them on the talks with the Houthis. Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman presented “the solution for a way out of the war on Yemen,” the outlet’s sources said.

According to Al-Mayadeen, the Saudi plan envisions extending the ceasefire by another year, followed by steps to reopen Yemeni ports. Riyadh is then expected to officially announce the end of the war and its intervention in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia and the UN will subsequently sponsor talks between the Houthis and rival Yemeni factions, seeking a two-year transition period to establish a new government, reports have indicated.

The diplomatic breakthrough after eight years of fighting was made possible by last month’s agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to re-establish diplomatic relations, brokered by China.  

According to UN estimates, the conflict in Yemen has claimed at least 377,000 lives, of which 150,000 were due to violence and the rest from starvation and disease. Another 4 million people have been displaced.

Tehran, Riyadh Formally Restore Diplomatic Relations – Iran News Daily

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The top Iranian and Saudi diplomats underscore the need to implement a landmark China-brokered reconciliation agreement in an attempt to enhance mutual trust and help boost regional security.

In a joint statement issued Thursday after a meeting in Beijing, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, expressed readiness to remove all impediments to the expansion of bilateral ties.

The two sides also agreed to develop cooperation in any field that can ensure the security and stability of the region as well as the interests of its nations.

They further underscored the importance of dialog on ways to bolster bilateral relations and activate a security cooperation agreement, as well as a general cooperation deal in the fields of economy, trade, investment, technology, science, culture, sports and youth.

In their joint statement, Iran and Saudi Arabia also agreed to reopen their embassies in Tehran and Riyadh, together with consulate generals in Mashhad and Jeddah within a deadline already specified.

They also agreed to keep up coordination between the two countries’ technical teams in order to examine resuming flights and visits by official delegations and those by the private sector, as well as facilitating visa process for their citizens, including for the Umrah pilgrimage.

Given the existing natural resources and economic capabilities that can be used to ensure the common interests of the two brotherly nations, the two sides agreed to increase meetings and consultations to further realize the positive prospects in bilateral relations.

At the end of their meeting, Amirabdollahian and Prince Faisal thanked China for hosting Thursday’s meeting.

Moreover, they expressed their gratitude to Switzerland for its efforts to protect the interests of Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, Prince Faisal renewed his invitation for Amir-Abdollahian to visit Saudi Arabia.

The top Iranian diplomat, for his part, invited his Saudi counterpart to travel to Tehran, an invitation which was welcomed by Prince Faisal.

On March 10, after several days of intensive negotiations hosted by China, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to resume their diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies and diplomatic missions after seven years of estrangement.

Meanwhile on Thursday, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced the official restoration of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia after top diplomats from the two countries held a landmark meeting in the Chinese capital city of Beijing and issued a joint statement.

“I am delighted to announce the first official meeting between the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers in Beijing following the [March 10] agreement between the two countries to resume formal ties, and three rounds of telephone conversations between the top diplomats,” Nasser Kanaani told reporters in Beijing on Thursday.

He hailed the “very good” negotiations held between Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan in a “totally positive and constructive atmosphere” in the Chinese capital.

As a result of the foreign ministerial meeting, the formal relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been officially re-established as of today, Kanaani noted.

The official highlighted that the two Muslim countries will exchange technical delegations within the next few days to make preparations for the reopening of embassies in Tehran and Riyadh as well as their respective consulates.