Saudi Arabia puts pressure on EU to label Yemen's Houthis a terrorist group
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Arabia → put → Houthis
Nov 12 - Saudi Arabia is pressing the EU to designate Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement as a terrorist organisation, but has yet to overcome European concerns that this could undermine a future peace process, according to six European officials.
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this → press → officials
The campaign reflects a broader effort by Riyadh to increase international pressure on the group, which has been carrying out near-daily attacks on the kingdom in recent weeks after the resumption of war that began more than a decade ago.
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that → reflect → war
The Houthis are already subject to EU sanctions, including an arms embargo and asset freezes on 12 commanders.
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Houthis → include → commanders
The EU has designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a key backer of the Houthis, as a terrorist organisation.
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EU → designate → organisation
But the bloc has so far stopped short of designating the Houthis themselves as terrorists, a step that has been taken by other Western countries including the United States, Australia and Canada.
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that → stop → States
Saudi Arabia has for over a decade led a military coalition fighting against the group on behalf of Yemen's internationally recognised government, which the Houthis drove out of the capital Sanaa in 2014.
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Houthis → lead → 2014
FEW EUROPEAN COUNTRIES SUPPORT DESIGNATION, OFFICIALS SAY
European countries worry that listing the Houthis as a terrorist group would close off the limited channels they maintain with the group and potentially undermine any European involvement in a future peace process in Yemen, the six European officials said.
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officials → support → Yemen
Adding the Houthis to the terrorism designation list would require unanimous support of the EU's 27 member states.
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Adding → add → states
So far, support has been limited to only a small number of them, one of the six officials said, declining to identify the countries because the discussions were private.
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discussions → limit → countries
Saudi Arabia's government communications office did not respond to a request for comment.
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office → respond → comment
EU foreign policy spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said the bloc was in regular contact with Riyadh on a range of issues, including regional developments, but declined to comment on any specific discussions underway.
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bloc → say → discussions
In a move that is largely symbolic but which signalled support within Europe for a tougher stance against the group, the European Parliament last month adopted a resolution calling for the EU to list the Houthis as a terrorist group.
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EU → signal → group
Joana de Deus Pereira, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a defense research group in London, said European states wanted to show solidarity with Saudi Arabia, but remained hesitant about listing the Houthis as a terrorist group, which she said would have limited practical impact.
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she → say → impact
Among European concerns, de Deus Pereira said, were that the Houthis could retaliate for any listing by targeting European vessels near Yemen, and that a designation could complicate the work of aid groups operating in Houthi-controlled areas.
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designation → say → areas
Another potential reason why the EU may be cautious: several of the European officials noted that an EU terrorism designation is particularly difficult to reverse, as once imposed it would require unanimous support of members to lift it.
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it → note → it
Yemen's coastline runs along the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at its mouth, a critical waterway linking Europe and Asia.
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coastline → run → Europe
Any Houthi attacks there could further disrupt global trade, already reeling from Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US-Israeli war on Iran.
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attacks → disrupt → Iran
CIVILIANS KILLED, INJURED IN HOUTHI, SAUDI ATTACKS
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CIVILIANS → kill → ATTACKS
Riyadh, with backing from the US, led a years-long disastrous military campaign against the Houthis before the Iran-backed group and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government agreed to a truce in 2022.
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group → lead → 2022
That truce fell apart in July this year after the Houthis accused Riyadh of bombing Sanaa airport.
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Houthis → fall → airport
Since then, both sides have carried out cross-border attacks that have killed and injured civilians.
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that → carry → civilians
After a deadly Houthi missile strike on Riyadh's King Khalid airport in October, the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said the bloc stood in solidarity with Saudi Arabia.
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bloc → say → Arabia
The Aporia
