RENEWED HOPE FOR PEACE AS UN’S YEMEN ENVOY VISITS WASHINGTON

Confidence grows that Martin Griffiths can bring Houthi rebels to the table for a political solution to the war

The new UN envoy for Yemen has held his first talks with senior Trump administration officials in Washington, where his appointment has raised hopes of a political solution to the war.

Martin Griffiths held meetings at the White House and State Department who manage the Yemen file, and also had a meeting with Acting Secretary of State John Sullivan on Wednesday, a US official told The National. On Tuesday, Mr Griffiths briefed the UN Security Council where he warned of the need “to diminish the chances” of missile launches and confrontations that could derail the hopes of a political settlement.

But there is an increased sense of optimism in Washington about progress on Yemen after Mr Griffiths, a former British diplomat, took over the envoy post from Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed in February. In the past few weeks he has travelled to Sanaa, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Geneva to push for political talks.

Gerald Feierstein, director for Gulf affairs at the Middle East Institute, said Mr Griffiths’ visit to Washington “was an important opportunity to share some of US government thinking and exchange insights”.

“There are some reasons for optimism that perhaps this change of leadership in the UN envoy position will be an opportunity for everyone to get another round of negotiations in place, after an almost two-year halt,” Mr Feierstein said.

John Arterbury, a Yemen analyst with the Navanti group, echoed that optimism.

“The change in the UN envoy allows for something of a fresh slate in terms of how the parties engage one another,” Mr Arterbury said. “A lack of good faith in the peace process from the Houthis and the former Saleh side hindered these efforts.

“Now, with the Houthis under greater military pressure than before, there may be more incentive for them and their backers to come to the table.”

In the latest fighting, the Yemeni National Resistance Forces force led by killed former president Al Abdullah Saleh’s nephew launched a large-scale operation in the west of Taez to liberate new areas of the province from the Houthis.

Supported by the UAE Armed Forces operating as part of the Saudi-led coalition, the operation is to secure the Red Sea coast and break the siege of Taez city from the western front.

Yemen’s Southern Resistance and Tahami Movement are also talking part in the operation,

the UAE state news agency Wam reported.

Also on Thursday, pro-government forces secured Khalid bin Al Waleed base in Taez, marking a turning point in the coalition forces’ push to recapture Hodeidah port.

The capture of the base, at the crossroads of Mokha and Hodeidah, will also help to fully liberate Taez.

Meanwhile, coalition-backed forces killed two Al Qaeda militants in a raid in the southern province of Abyan on Wednesday, the Saudi state news agency reported.

Murad Al Doubli, known as Abu Hamza Al Batani, and Hassan Basurie were “the most dangerous leaders” of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

The two men were killed in a clash with forces backed by the UAE, a key component of the Saudi-backed coalition that intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015, said the statement.

There was no immediate statement confirming the deaths from Aqap.

The terrorist group’s numbers have been declining, with reports of dozens of tribal members denouncing it as of February.

Yemeni tribal leaders confirmed security forces have killed two suspected Al Qaeda operatives in the country’s southern province of Abyan.