The conflict in Yemen is unwinnable, dangerous for the region and remarkably cruel. The United Arab Emirates has not publicly explained its pullback, evidently for fear of irritating its Saudi allies. But diplomats say the Emiratis, who sent at least 5,000 troops to Yemen to train and lead a mélange of pro-government troops and militias, have wanted out for some time now. They say the United Arab Emirates has sharply cut its deployment of men, attack helicopters and heavy guns around the Red Sea port of Hudaydah, the main battleground last year. Those talks, which resumed on Sunday, offer a potential framework for real peace negotiations if other combatants — most important Saudi Arabia, the leader of the coalition in which the United Arab Emirates had the lead ground role — followed the Emirates’ lead.

Source: International New York Times July 16, 2019 01:07 UTC