UN envoy in Saudi for Yemen peace talks
riyadh — United Nations envoy Martin Griffiths met Yemeni officials in Riyadh on Monday as part of efforts to kick-start peace talks next month between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed government.
The visit comes as a tenuous calm settles over the rebel-held port city of Hodeida, a vital lifeline for imports and aid which had seen fierce clashes in a renewed offensive by a Saudi-led military coalition.
Under heavy international pressure, the Yemeni government and the coalition have largely suspended their five-month battle to seize Hodeida.
Griffiths, who is spearheading efforts to hold peace talks in Sweden in December, met Yemen’s Vice President Ali Mohsen Al Ahmar and Foreign Minister Khalid Al Yamani in the Saudi capital, the Yemeni state-run news agency Saba said.
The Yemeni leaders discussed with Griffiths arrangements for the upcoming negotiations and possible “confidence building measures” to test the “rebels’ seriousness” about peace efforts, Saba reported.
The UN envoy, who visited Hodeida last week to assess the humanitarian situation, was also expected to meet with Yemen’s
martin Griffiths. —
internationally recognised President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, a Saudi government source said.
Fighting in the Red Sea city intensified in early November as coalition-backed loyalist forces attempted to enter the city, but calm returned after Griffiths arrived in Yemen on Wednesday.
Griffiths has urged the warring parties to “keep the peace” in Hodeida. While the loyalist advance there has largely stalled, minor clashes have continued.
Military officials quoted by Saba said the loyalists foiled a Houthi “infiltration attempt” into a camp in Hays, a district about 100 kilometres south of Hodeida. —