Region

DOHA — War-torn Yemen faces an "extremely troubling outlook" after a serious escalation between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia, the head of the United Nations Development Programme warned on Sunday.

Achim Steiner, the UNDP's administrator, also told AFP the impoverished country is at risk of being "forgotten" as Russia's war on Ukraine grabs the world's attention.

"It is an extremely troubling outlook at the moment for the people of Yemen," Steiner said in an interview at the Doha Forum, when asked about the latest surge in hostilities.

"The reality is that desperation, poverty, destruction have reached a level in Yemen where the majority of the population is in one way or another unable to sustain itself anymore," he added.

On Friday, a rebel attack on a Saudi oil plant set off a huge fire near Jeddah's Formula One circuit during televised practice sessions. The attack was one of 16 drone-and-missile assaults on the kingdom that day.

The wave of attacks came just before Saturday's seventh anniversary of the Saudi-led coalition's military intervention in Yemen.

The coalition stepped in to support Yemen's internationally-recognised government in 2015, after the rebels seized the capital Sanaa the previous year.

The war has killed hundreds of thousands directly or indirectly and left millions on the brink of famine in what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe.

With the country almost completely dependent on imports, aid groups say the situation will only worsen following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which produces nearly a third of Yemen's wheat supplies.

"Given the broader geopolitical reality, the risk is that Yemen will be in part forgotten and that will obviously be a tragedy," said Steiner.

Some 80 per cent of Yemen's 30 million people depend on aid for survival.

'This war has solved nothing' 

Steiner said the economic consequences of the Ukraine conflict "are having reverberations into the global economy" and this "will reduce the scope of international solidarity for international cooperation".

“Right now the world is seized by the war in Ukraine, but the conflict in Yemen, the desperate situation in Afghanistan, these are still realities that will continue,” he said.

“They will receive inevitably less attention, and perhaps the greatest concern is... that the international donor community will essentially cut... funding.”

“That should be of concern for all of us,” Steiner added.

At a donors’ conference this month, the UN sought $4.27 billion to help 17.3 million of Yemen’s needy. But it raised only $1.3 billion, with some major hoped-for contributors failing to materialise.

This means “that what we will see through during the year 2022 is a further reduction in humanitarian aid, cut of food ratios, and our ability to, for example, train Yemeni citizens”, Steiner said.

“All of this will be compromised,” he warned.

On Saturday, the Iran-backed Houthis announced a three-day truce and offered peace talks on condition that the Saudis stop their air strikes and blockade of Yemen and remove “foreign forces”.

Shortly after, the Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes on Yemen, with UN chief Antonio Guterres condemning the surge in violence.

Steiner appealed for “peace, peace, peace”, adding: “This war... has not solved anything.”

“My appeal to regional powers... is to stop this war and find a way to reconcile... in a way that doesn’t harm the population the way it is right now.”

TEHRAN — The EU’s coordinator for talks to restore the 2015 nuclear deal met Iran’s foreign minister and its chief negotiator on Sunday in Tehran, state media reported, aiming to bridge gaps in the talks.

“Working on closing the remaining gaps in the #ViennaTalks,” European Union diplomat Enrique Mora tweeted ahead of his trip. “We must conclude this negotiation. Much is at stake.”

Iran has been engaged in efforts to revive the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia directly, and the United States indirectly since April 2021.

Mora, who coordinates the indirect US-Iran talks arrived in Tehran late Saturday and on Sunday met Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, state news agency IRNA reported.

Parties have signalled for weeks that the negotiations are close to an agreement, but that “political decisions” are required from Tehran and Washington.

“The lack of a US political decision to lift sanctions tied to the economic benefits of the Iranian people is the current obstacle to achieving the final results,” Amir-Abdollahian said during the meeting.

“Enjoying full economic benefits and the effective lifting of sanctions is our top priority,” he added, quoted in a foreign ministry statement.

Iran’s top diplomat said “other parties, especially the US government, must take a realistic approach to resolving the remaining issues”.

Mora’s visit comes as EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell indicated that a deal would be reached to renew the accord within days.

“We are very close but there are still some issues pending,” Borrell told reporters Saturday on the sidelines of the Doha Forum in Qatar.

“I cannot tell you when or how, but it is a matter of days.”

The 2015 deal gave Iran much-needed sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme that would guarantee it could not develop a nuclear weapon — something it has always denied seeking.

The deal fell apart in 2018 after the US, under then-president Donald Trump, unilaterally withdrew from the accord and reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran.

Tehran retaliated by rolling back most of its commitments from 2019.

Amir-Abdollahian has said one of the key outstanding issues is removing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from a US terrorist list.

Senior Guard officials have suggested the issue be dropped if a deal would ensure Iran’s “national interests”, Amir-Abdollahian said Saturday.

The US special envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, said in Qatar on Sunday that Washington would maintain sanctions on the Guards, the ideological arm of Iran’s military.

“The IRGC will remain sanctioned under US law and our perception of the IRGC will remain,” Malley said.

HILLA, Iraq — An American tourist poses for a holiday snap in Iraq, in front of the blue-brick Ishtar Gate that was rebuilt at the ancient site of Babylon under dictator Saddam Hussein.

Most foreigners here since Saddam’s ouster in a 2003 US-led invasion have worn army fatigues and carried guns — but more recently there has been a trickle of camera-toting travel pioneers.

“Iraq was in my top three countries,” said the visitor to Babylon, 50-year-old Californian Ileana Ovalle, who was excited to see the millennia-old Mesopotamian site.

“This is where civilisation started,” said the passionate globetrotter with some 40 countries under her belt. “I think too few people understand how important this region is.”

Most Western governments still issue travel warnings for all or parts of Iraq, pointing to risks from kidnappings to extremist bombings and unexploded ordnance from multiple wars.

But for some explorers who are unafraid of the odd military roadblock, Iraq is a hot new destination with multiple World Heritage sites that is slowly reopening to the world.

Retirees and YouTubers, on package tours or lugging backpacks, are braving Iraq’s still basic tourist infrastructure to visit ancient sites that rival those of Egypt, Syria and Jordan.

Scary travel warnings

Whether in Baghdad or Mosul, the northern city that was a extremist stronghold, they can be seen strolling through streets that still bear the scars of years of conflict. 

Blogs and vlogs have proliferated with names such as “American in Baghdad, Iraq”, “Two German guys alone in Iraq” and “Exploring Baghdad — how dangerous is it?”

The tourist mini-boom has gained momentum since Iraq started granting visas on arrival for dozens of nationalities a year ago.

Ovalle, along with 14 other tourists, said she was happy to take part in a trip organised by a travel agency which offers cultural, sports and adventure trips.

“The first thing that I noticed is the warmth, the generosity and the kindness of the Iraqi people,” she said. “They smile, they welcome you, they are very polite.”

In Babylon, more than 4,000 years old, weeds grow among the old bricks and rubbish is strewn about. Not so long ago, a nearby base housed US and Polish coalition troops. 

“I think everyone has hesitations, especially coming from the United States,” said another visitor, 35-year-old New Yorker Justin Gonzales.

“If you go on our government website, they have a travel advisory saying: ‘Do not travel to Iraq, it’s dangerous, you can get kidnapped, there is often violence.’”

“But I haven’t seen any of that, and I don’t think I will.”

‘Happy and generous’

Last year, Iraq attracted 107,000 tourists including from Britain, France, the United States, Turkey and Norway. That was over three times more than the 30,000 in 2020, according to Tourism Authority data. 

Apart from tourists, hundreds of thousands of religious pilgrims — especially Shiite Muslims, mostly from Iran — flock each year to the shrine cities of Karbala and Najaf, south of Baghdad.

Elsewhere in Iraq, however, “we need infrastructure, private investment to have hotels, buses”, said the owner of the Bil Weekend agency, Ali Al Makhzoumi, who has 30 to 40 clients a month. 

There has been progress.

Baghdad’s National Museum reopened earlier in March after three years of closure, and the city’s famed booksellers’ street Al Mutanabi was given a facelift in December. 

Ur, the birthplace of Abraham, is attracting more Westerners following a much-publicised Iraq visit by Pope Francis in 2021. 

But industry trailblazers want to see more done — among them Aya Salih, who runs the Safraty travel agency with her husband. 

The government “has authorised visas on arrival, but everything else is still complicated,” she said. “Half of the trip is wasted at roadblocks even though we have the necessary permits.”

Some visitors love the more edgy, authentic travel experience.

“I like to go to places that are not so touristy yet,” said Emma Witters, 54, who has over 70,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel.

After so much war and isolation, she said, “you would think that they would be unhappy, miserable people. But they are so happy to see people and foreigners, they are so generous.”

AMMAN — Amid the ongoing Russian war on Ukraine, the US will continue to be "positively" engaged in the Middle East and work with allies and partners to realise the two-state solution for the Palestinian issue, regional spokesperson for the US State Department, Samuel Warberg, said Saturday.

The US is "fully aware" of the importance of realising the two-state solution and the right of the Palestinians and the Israelis to live in peace, dignity, security and prosperity, he said.

“Therefore, and amidst the chaos because of the Russian war and the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the US is continuing communication and involvement with all sides and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah,” he said at an online press meeting on Saturday.

“We want to reach to the two-state solution…we cannot have a positive role if we only have a unilateral relation with the Israelis…We have to listen to all the Palestinians and the Israelis about how the US can play a positive role to push all the sides to the table, all the issues to realise the two-state solution,” he said.

Blinken is scheduled to visit Israel Sunday and is also set to visit the West Bank, Morocco and Algeria in a trip that will also focus on Iran and regional security matters, the Israeli-Palestinian relations, the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, among other topics.

Warberg said the US does not expect any change or impact on the ties with countries in the region because of their position on the Russian war on Ukraine.

The US has "deep, solid, historical and strategic relations with almost all countries in the region", and Washington does not expect that to change due to a country’s position towards this war, he noted.

“We expect all countries to raise their voice against the barbaric war, especially the countries of the region as it suffered from wars, destruction and terrorism and the peoples of the region know more than others the negative consequences of any war,” he said.

Almost all the countries of the region expressed their condemnation of the Russian war, he said, adding that the US appreciates Jordan’s firm stance in this regard as it stressed on respecting international law, the UN Charter, the sovereignty and regional integrity of states.

Touching on public opinion in the region that there is a disparity in the US sympathy when it comes to the Ukrainian crisis and the Palestinian cause, he stressed the “difficulty to compare the Israeli-Palestinian situation with the Russian war on Ukraine”.

Warberg said: "As a diplomat, I say that the difference between the previous US administration and the current one should be evident." 

"The former administration has completely severed relations with the Palestinians and cut humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians in the Palestinian territories and refugee regions in various countries, while the current administration has taken the decision to resume relations with the Palestinians and humanitarian and economic assistance to the Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority," he said.

On challenges related to food security due the Russian war, he said they are not restricted to the region, adding that the issue was discussed by US President Joe Biden and European leaders on Thursday.

These talks were part of the G7 meetings, as well as the NATO meeting, aimed to discuss means to work closely together to ensure adequate food worldwide, he said. 

Ukraine and Russia are the world's two largest wheat producers and any problem related to food security is linked to "President Putin's war”, he said.

He also highlighted the capabilities of the US, the third largest wheat producer alongside Canada, to build initiatives in cooperation with allies and wheat-dependent countries, notably the $5-billion Feed the Future initiative, to address the food security problem, stressing the importance of such initiatives amid the potential food security-related implications of Russia's war on Ukraine.

Warberg added that the US is currently cooperating with its allies and partners to provide the necessary assistance to the government and people of Ukraine to counter the "Russian aggression", adding that his country has so far provided some $293 million in humanitarian assistance since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine last month.

Regarding the sanctions imposed on Russia, Warberg said "they have caused a devastating blow to Russia", predicting that "their impact on the Russian economy will continue over time".

The sanctions have shown that the reserves of the Central Bank of Russia are "useless", he said. 

These reserves finance "Putin's war", he said, adding that the value of the Russian ruble has fallen, making less than one US cent, the Russian stock market has been closed since nearly three weeks, in addition to large inflation and the withdrawal of more than 300 mega-private companies from the Russian market.

"It's just the beginning, and we, in cooperation with all our partners, will impose further high costs on Russia in the event it continues this aggression," Warberg said, adding that analysts expect a greater collapse of the Russian economy.

Concerning the impact of the crisis, Warberg said that "it is not restricted to Europe, but it involves the whole world", noting that "the prices of fuel and food in the Middle East, and Jordan in particular, is rising, because of this crisis".

On the limits of the US role in the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, Warberg highlighted his country's support for all efforts towards reaching a solution between the Ukrainians and the Russians. 

He pointed out that it should be pursued in accordance with "the principles defended by the US", highlighting that "no state has the right to change a country’s geographical borders, or dictate its will on another country".

RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories — Voters cast ballots on Saturday in towns and cities of the Israeli-occupied West Bank in a rare democratic exercise following a decade and a half of delays to Palestinian elections.

It is the second phase of municipal elections after a first round of voting in December in 154 West Bank villages.

Saturday's vote is being held in 50 towns and cities, with many elections uncontested, or without any candidates in some cases.

Wasfi Ramhi, voting in the city of Al Bireh, said he hoped it would lead to national elections.

"If they are democratic, fair and free, they will help us to hold legislative and presidential elections," he told AFP.

No legislative or presidential elections have been held in the Palestinian territories for 15 years, following repeated delays.

The last municipal elections, held in 2017, were boycotted by Hamas, the Islamist rulers of the Gaza Strip.

Hamas is also boycotting this vote in protest at President Mahmoud Abbas' indefinite postponement of parliamentary and presidential elections that had been scheduled for last year.

The Islamists had been poised to sweep the parliamentary election, which was widely seen as the real reason for Abbas' 11th-hour postponement of the poll, citing Israel's refusal to allow voting in occupied East Jerusalem.

Abbas' presidential term was supposed to end in 2009.

Central Elections Commission chief Hanna Nasser said a number of candidates had been arrested in the lead-up to the vote.

"There are candidates who were arrested before today," Nasser said. "This indicates blatant interference in the election process."

"The arrests were made for political reasons to prevent certain candidates from running in the elections," he told a news conference.

'Small piece of freedom' 

No elections are being held in Gaza or Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem.

In the Jordan Valley city of Jericho, independents dominate the candidate lists, with established parties officially staying away, a dynamic mirrored across the West Bank.

“Usually there are just one or two lists running — and they belong to the parties. This time there are five lists, many of them independents,” said Emad Barahmeh, a businessman who heads one of the independent lists running in Jericho.

Yet experts say Hamas and Fateh, the secular party led by Abbas, are still involved, running candidates under the table as independents.

“It is also noticeable that the various Palestinian factions are clearly absent from running for these elections, but their candidates have entered under the name of independents,” Talab Awad, an expert on Palestinian elections, told AFP.

“There are candidates from the Hamas movement in these elections, but they are doing so personally,” Awad said, adding participation would likely be “high”.

The businessman Barahmeh said the delayed legislative elections had left people “disappointed” and Saturday’s vote was “like a small piece of freedom for them”.

Hamas and Fateh have been at loggerheads since 2007 when the Islamists seized Gaza after a week of deadly clashes.

Today, the Fateh-dominated Palestinian Authority has control over parts of the occupied West Bank, where 2.9 million Palestinians live, while the Gaza Strip, an enclave of 2.3 million inhabitants under Israeli blockade, remains under Hamas control.

RIYADH — Yemen's Houthi rebels have proposed a ceasefire and peace talks to end the country's crippling war in return for opening the capital's airport and the key port of Hodeida, a senior Saudi official told AFP on Saturday.

The comments come a day after a wave of drone-and-missile attacks against Saudi targets including an oil facility in Jeddah, sparking a huge fire as Formula One practice sessions took place nearby.

The Iran-backed rebels last week rejected an offer of talks in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, which leads the pro-government military coalition.

"The Houthis put forward an initiative through mediators that includes a truce, opening the airport [Sanaa] and the port (Hodeida) and Yemeni-Yemeni discussions," said the official, on condition of anonymity.

"We are waiting for it to be officially announced because they [Houthis] are constantly changing their words," he added.

No immediate comment was available from the Houthis, who seized Sanaa in 2014, ousting the government and sparking a devastating war. The Saudi-led coalition launched its intervention exactly seven years ago.

A Riyadh-based diplomat told AFP that Hans Grundberg, the UN’s special envoy to Yemen, had led recent efforts to reach a truce during the month of Ramadan, which begins in early April.

Last week, the Saudi-headquartered, six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council invited the rebels to talks in Riyadh later this month.

But the Houthis refused to hold talks with the government in “enemy countries”.