SANAA, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthis spokesman said Friday night that the Houthi rebel group rejected the ceasefire plan proposed by the United States special envoy for Yemen, calling it an empty one that represented the Saudi vision.
"If the U.S. was serious to stop the war and siege in Yemen, it would have declared an end to the war and siege, then we would welcome this step," Mohammed Abdulsalam told the group's al-Masirah television.
The U.S. special envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking has presented a ceasefire proposal to the Houthis to end the Yemeni civil war of more than six years and was waiting for a response from the group, Saudi-run Al Arabiya TV website reported earlier on Friday.
Lenderking met with the Houthis negotiation team led by Mohammed Abdulsalam in Oman last month, after his meeting with Saudi and UN officials in Riyadh on a ceasefire.
The United States appointed Lenderking, a veteran diplomat with long experience in regional affairs, as U.S. special envoy to Yemen in February. The move was considered as an indication of the new U.S. administration's intention to change its policy on the war-torn country.
