Saudi Arabia’s efforts to extend a truce in Yemen was the key issue discussed during the phone call between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan focused on the strategic relations between the Kingdom and the US.
The two-month ceasefire that took effect at the start of the holy month of Ramadan on April 2, has largely held despite the Yemeni government accusing the Houthi of breaches.
But that deal is to expire in a few days unless extended and the talks on that between both sides in the warring Gulf state, according to the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg, have been ongoing for several weeks.
Grundberg noted that the truce has had a considerable positive impact on the daily lives of many Yemenis halving civilian casualties, while officials within both the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition expressed keenness to extend the cessation of hostilities.
However, Washington has been cautiously optimistic about extending the truce, as the US Special envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking said last week.
The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia tweeted on Tuesday that during the telephone call, Blinken and Bin Farhan also discussed the challenges that Iran’s nuclear program and Tehran’s destabilizing activities are posing in the region, as well as opportunities for increased co-operation on regional issues
They also discussed the efforts to avoid the economic, environmental, and humanitarian threats posed by the Safer oil tanker in the Red Sea region which could spill millions of barrels of oil into the sea unless urgent action is taken.
The UN is trying to raise funds to replace the aging oil tanker moored off the Yemeni coast with a new floating storage platform, a plan that the Houthis, which have for years blocked access to the vessel and the unloading of the cargo on board, recently agreed with.
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