UN Yemen envoy to visit Sanaa, Riyadh and Muscat after Geneva peace talks setback
After the failure of peace talks in Geneva last week, when Iran-backed Houthi rebels refused to show up, UN special envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths is trying another political push to bring Yemen’s warring parties to the table.
Mr Griffiths told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that he would soon be visiting touring the Gulf region to discuss the stalemate.
“I will continue my discussions by holding an initial set of visits in the coming days, including to Muscat and Sanaa,” he said. “I will also meet the government of Yemen in Riyadh, and look forward to seeing President Abdradu Mansur Hadi.”
The talks, Mr Griffiths said, would promote confidence-building measures including a prisoner exchange, the opening of Sanaa airport and, on the political side, “secure a firm commitment from the parties to convene for continued consultations”.
Several Houthi political leaders live in Muscat.
Despite the failure of the Geneva talks, the UN envoy refused to give up on the political process.
He thanked members of the Yemeni government for their “constructive participation” and voiced disappointment at the Houthi absence.
“When I called for the intra-Yemeni consultations in Geneva, I never expected it to be an easy mission,” Mr Griffiths told the council.
He said that “the war has been escalating across all fronts and the humanitarian cost is ever rising”.
Mr Griffiths said the race now was “to salvage what is left of Yemeni state institutions as quickly as possible”, mentioning the steep fall of the Yemeni rial as a symptom of the crisis.
The special envoy echoed concern over military operations near the Red Sea port of Hodeidah.
“I am relieved that Hodeidah city has not yet suffered the calamity of military operations,” Mr Griffiths said.
“However, I am concerned that the intensive operations on the outskirts of the city are a gloomy portent for what is to come.”
He said that “fierce fighting has also taken place in several other areas, including Saada, Hajjah, Marib and Taez governorates, as well as the Saudi-Yemeni border area”.
“The continued launching of attacks by Houthi forces towards Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea shows the continued threat of this conflict towards regional security,” Mr Griffiths said.