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The Houthi rebels in Yemen are boycotting a Gulf Arab meeting on the war in Yemen on Tuesday because it would be held in Saudi Arabia, their foe in the horrific struggle.
The United Nations, diplomats, and others have advocated for a possible ceasefire to coincide with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, similar to previous ceasefire attempts.
Ramadan is expected to begin this weekend, days after the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) summit on Tuesday, based on the sighting of the new crescent moon.
During the summit, the GCC, which consists of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, was to hold closed-door talks.
GCC Secretary-General Nayef al-Hajraf met with British Ambassador Richard Oppenheim and Yemeni officials affiliated with the country’s internationally recognised but exiled administration on Monday.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, al-Hajraf, a Kuwaiti politician, discussed “efforts to cease the conflict and strategies to achieve complete peace to alleviate the human suffering observed by Yemeni people.”
Meanwhile, the Houthi rebels have rejected the summit due to the fact that it is being hosted in Saudi Arabia, as well as the Saudi-led coalition’s continued blockade of Sanaa’s airport and limitations on the country’s ports.
The rebels, who assaulted an oil station in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, over the weekend ahead of a Formula One event, have demanded that the negotiations take place in a “neutral” country.
Yemeni rebel leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi said the rebels “would spare no effort to combat the aggression and siege” in a speech broadcast on the rebels’ Al Masirah television network on Monday, two days after the fighters declared a truce.
He claimed coalition members would “regret losing out” on the ceasefire and that they would not be spared future strikes unless they “stop the aggression, lift the blockade, and terminate the occupation” of Yemen.