A former US ambassador in Riyadh acknowledges Saudi Arabia’s defeat in Yemen

The former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Charles W. Freeman, who served on behalf of the US Foreign Service and State Department in Saudi Arabia, has advised Riyadh that it should admit defeat and withdraw from Yemen.

In an interview with the American newspaper The Cradle, Freeman said: “Saudi Arabia must admit defeat and withdraw from Yemen, otherwise the Yemenis will not let it retreat without asking for a greater concession in return.”

He pointed out that “Ansarullah does not care about America and will not submit to any American mediation between Saudi Arabia and Iran,” as he put it, indicating that any US role for reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia will not have an impact on the position of Ansarullah.

He considered that Washington entered the war in Yemen to prove its support and alliance only with Saudi Arabia, after the relations between the two countries had cooled for years, and Washington wanted to re-strengthen its relations with Saudi Arabia by participating in the war on Yemen.

He added, “The only US interest in Yemen, other than a desire to curb terrorist attacks from its soil, is to demonstrate continued support for Saudi Arabia to offset the deterioration of other aspects of the US-Saudi relationship. But there is no American popular support for engaging in the war and there is a lot of opposition in the United States.” To help the Saudis continue their adventures in Yemen.

It is noteworthy that Charles Freeman was the US ambassador to Riyadh during the period (1990-1992), and served as the head of the National Intelligence Council during the administration of former US President Barack Obama, during which the US-Saudi aggression on Yemen began.