Norway Announces Its Desire to Open Direct Communication Channels with Sana’a

The regional director of the Norwegian Center for Conflict Resolution, Norf Omar Abboud, expressed Norway’s desire to open direct channels of communication with Sana’a.

“We would like an official delegation from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to arrive in Yemen and receive delegations from Sana’a to open channels of communication,” he said.

He pointed out that Norway is a country that cares about peace, and is currently a member of the UN Security Council and has an independent policy, and it is the country that took a decision to stop the export of arms to the UAE.

During the meeting, President Al-Mashat welcomed the visit of the regional director of the Norwegian Center for Conflict Resolution, to Sana’a, to see the humanitarian situation experienced by the Yemeni people as a result of the war and siege for the eighth year.

He praised the decision taken by Norway to stop the export of arms to the UAE and to stop arms sales to the US-Saudi aggression countries.

US President Joe Biden quickly abandoned the commitments he made early in his term: to end US support for offensive operations in Yemen, including ending arms sales, making human rights a central component of US foreign policy, and ensuring that those responsible for human rights abuses will be held accountable for their crimes against innocents in Yemen.

The Biden administration was well aware that its weapons sent to the Gulf states that are members of the coalition were used over the past war years to carry out unlawful attacks against the civilian population in Yemen.

However, in September 2021, it approved the annual US defense budget, as the amendment calling for ending support for Saudi offensive operations and airstrikes in Yemen suddenly disappeared.

In September 2021, the US House of Representatives passed a provision in the annual defense bill that ends US support for SLC offensive operations and airstrikes in Yemen. However it was omitted from the final bill which was later passed into law.

The Yemeni missile and drone strikes against sensitive targets in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh on January 17 and on January 23 came as an opportunity for the US administration to hold more military investment. The Biden administration was quick to confirm its commitment to sell $23 billion worth of combat aircraft, bombs, and other munitions to the UAE.

American companies have also awarded maintenance contracts worth $28 million to Saudi combat aircraft. All this is in violation of not only international law but also US law itself: the Foreign Aid Act, laws banning the sale of arms and increasing military assistance to countries that seriously violate human rights.

Among those agreements is the sale of $650 million worth of missiles to Saudi Arabia also from Raytheon, which Congress has given the green light despite suggestions to block them. Last December, the administration said it “remains committed” to the proposed $23 billion sale of F-35 aircraft, MQ-9Bs, and munitions to the United Arab Emirates — despite strong human rights concerns.

Continuing to arm the SLC not only fails to meet US obligations under international law, it also violates US law. Therefore, the majority of right-wing observers believe that it is difficult to imagine when the Yemeni war will end. Unless Washington decides to do so.