UN envoy to Yemen meets government, Riyadh hosts ‘last chance’

Mohamed Abdel-Ghaffar

UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths vowed Wednesday during a meeting with Vice President Ali Mohsen Saleh al-Ahmar in Riyadh to implement directives of the UN Secretary General and abide by the three references to solve the Yemeni crisis.

The government has explicitly demanded the right implementation of articles stipulated in the Stockholm agreement, especially in regards to the redeployment in Hodeidah, in accordance with the agreed “concept of operations.”

Last month, Hadi sent a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in which he said he would no longer accept the ongoing violations committed by the UN envoy, criticizing Griffiths for publicly praising the Houthis.

For his part, Ahmar noted that the legitimate government has dealt positively and flexibly with the UN envoy from the beginning, adding that it has made many concessions in order to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people, end the coup and restore the state.

Griffiths reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to working with the parties for a comprehensive, Yemeni-led peace agreement, and urged all parties to create an environment conducive to making this a reality.

“I was encouraged by the openness and flexibility of the government of Yemen and its continued commitment towards achieving peace,” he said.

“We are determined to advance the peace process based on the national dialogue outcome, the GCC initiative and related security council resolutions, and restart soonest possible consultations with the parties,” he said.

The government has also complained that Griffiths has treated the Houthis as if they were a de facto government.

Griffiths stressed the commitment of international organizations to continue to work with all actors in the Yemeni crisis, with the aim of reaching a comprehensive peace agreement through the commitment of all parties and the responsibility they bear.

The meeting coincides with foiling a terrorist attack by the Houthi militia at the 50th Street east of Hodeidah, killing and wounding dozens of Houthi terrorists.

Kamel al-Khoudani, a Yemeni politician and leader of the General People’s Congress (GPC), said this meeting is considered the last episode of the series of relations between the UN envoy and the legitimate government.

He also said it would be the end of Griffiths in case he did not act against all fears and complaints that he is biased towards the Houthi rebels, pointing out that previous events nearly put the government and Griffiths through divorce, and now, it is in the UN envoy’s hand to reclaim the situation and put an end to the Yemeni crisis.