Chance of a ceasefire in Yemen?
In the war in Yemen Houthi rebels have said they will halt all attacks to facilitate a ceasefire. If the Saudi-led military coalition is ready to make peace the rebels are too, their leader announced on Twitter. Journalists voice hopes that peace talks could soon begin in what the UN describes as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world right now.
Seize this opportunity
The Süddeutsche Zeitung sees a shimmer of hope:
“In order to be able to justify its alliance with the [Saudi] royal family Trump's government is demanding a concession, and an end to the unpopular war in Yemen is an obvious choice. One may find this horse-trading repulsive - but at least it's pragmatic. People in Yemen are only interested in peace, so the international community should seize this moment. The US must prove that this is not just about strategic games. And Germany and the EU must show that they make every effort to end civil wars even when they are raging in parts of the world that are so remote that refugees fleeing them don't find their way to Europe.”
Force Saudi Arabia to make peace
El País calls on the West to push hard for peace in Yemen:
“It is the duty of Europe and the US now to use all the diplomatic means at their disposition to force a ceasefire in Yemen, a country suffering a conflict - fuelled by Saudi Arabia - which is in the process of turning into one of the worst humanitarian disasters in history. This would be the best way to show that the murder of Jamal Khashoggi has changed relations with Riyadh: forcing this absolutist monarch to end the butchery, especially since the states of the West have so far proved unable to reach a consensus on a weapons embargo.”
No solution unless Iran wants it too
Tehran will have to be included in any bid to resolve the conflict in Yemen, the pro-government daily Yeni Şafak believes:
“Yemen is very important for Iran. ... The latter is using this civil war as a trump card to expand its hinterland in Asia, Africa and around the Red Sea. ... So will convincing the Saudi government be enough to resolve the crisis in Yemen? By no means. Iran must also be persuaded. True, it hasn't been possible to convince Iran to end the war in Syria, and therefore it seems unlikely that this can succeed in Yemen. But on the other hand Iran is exhausted, and Syria is a little more important to it right now. Iran will be forced to play an active part in seeking a peaceful solution, either in Syria or in Yemen.”