Riyadh’s offer for Yemen’s government to receive payment for public sector salaries in exchange for the transfer of oil and gas revenues to the Saudi National Bank was rejected by Sana’a.
Yemen’s al-Masirah television network reported on Sunday that Mahdi al-Mashat, the head of the country’s Supreme Political Council, blamed the United States for the difficulties Saudi Arabia had in paying the salaries of civil servants in the areas they controlled under the Ansarullah movement.
“What the Saudis want is to loot our oil wealth, transfer it to the Saudi National Bank, and give charity money to our employees,” he said.
“God willing, we will make an effort to pay the wages in the future and we will take them back from the enemy.”
Mashat likewise pleaded with Washington not to alienate the more than 10 million Yemeni public sector employees by delaying the payment of their salaries.
Riyadh had earlier offered to resume Yemeni oil exports and extend the cease-fire in exchange for paying Yemeni civil servants’ salaries for a year in Saudi riyals.
Yemen, however, claims that the country’s oil revenues are sufficient to cover all public sector employees’ salaries and that it wants to regain control over its own resources.
In March 2015, Saudi Arabia began a bloody war against Yemen with the assistance of its Arab allies, the US, and other Western nations, who provided arms and logistical support. It also imposed the tightest siege on Yemen, which hurt the nation’s economy.
read more: Saudi Arabia informed Yemenis of decision to end war
Riyadh attempted to oust Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi’s pro-Riyadh government and replace it with Ansarullah, but it was unsuccessful in doing so.
Meanwhile, the conflict has resulted in the worst humanitarian crisis ever as well as the death of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis.
After eight years of aggression, Saudi Arabia, a few months back informed the Yemeni presidential leadership council of the decision to end the devastating war in Yemen and to restore peace.
