The United States confirmed Wednesday that an American envoy has held talks in Oman with Iran-backed Yemeni rebels to convince them to attend a Geneva peace conference in mid-June. Washington's top diplomat for the Near East, Anne Patterson, had a number of meetings in Oman with parties involved in the Yemen conflict, "including with representatives of the Huthi," said State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf.
Patterson, who also travelled to Saudi Arabia for talks on the conflict, wanted to persuade actors in the conflict to take part in a proposed peace conference in Geneva, she said. A conference on Yemen was scrapped four days before it was due to be held on May 28, dealing a blow to UN efforts to broker peace in a country where at least 2,000 people have been killed since March.
Confirmation of the talks came as an American among several believed held by the Shia Huthi rebels was freed and receiving treatment in Oman. Pictures released by Oman's official ONA news agency showed journalist Casey Coombs being stretchered into an ambulance with a brace around his head. Released along with him was a Singaporean, according to Omani state media, which said they were on their way home. Coombs, who had been working freelance in Yemen since 2012, writing for publications including Time magazine and The Intercept, had been held by the Huthis for two weeks, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.
The rebels have controlled the capital since September and have expanded across other parts of the country, prompting a Saudi-led bombing campaign that began on March 26 in support of exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. In an article he wrote for The Intercept last month, Coombs said he had been trying to leave the country, but was struggling to find a safe route out.
The United States said at the weekend it was working to secure the release of "several US citizens" held in Yemen. Washington has provided intelligence and logistical support for the air campaign but has called for a political solution to the conflict. A diplomat in Oman said the Huthis had told America they want a halt to the bombing and uninterrupted access for deliveries of humanitarian aid. The UN's World Food Programme warned Tuesday that "child malnutrition rates in Yemen are among the highest in the world". It said one of its vessels carrying food docked at the western city of Hodeidah after being targeted by shelling as it approached the main southern port of Aden, while another was expected in days.
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