Pompeo hits out at Houthi attacks in Saudi territory
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed concern about increased attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels against Saudi Arabia.
Mr Pompeo made his comments in a meeting with the UN special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, in Washington on Wednesday.
His spokeswoman, Morgan Ortagus, said the Houthi attacks “exacerbate the conflict and deepen mistrust”.
“The secretary thanked the special envoy for his continued efforts to move the political process forward,” Ms Ortagus said.
She said the pair discussed the UN-led peace process and agreed that the Yemeni parties must continue working towards a political settlement and an end to the conflict.
Mr Griffiths said his main aim was to prevent the Yemen conflict from descending into a regional war.
“Yemen has its own problems, its own war,” he told US radio station PRI.
“It’s my first priority at the moment to at least keep it out from being sucked into any potential regional conflict, and that was my main discussion with Secretary Pompeo.”
The conflict began with the 2014 takeover of the capital Sanaa by the rebels.
Mr Griffiths said progress towards peace had been “grindingly slow” since talks in Stockholm in December last year.
An agreement reached for an immediate ceasefire and mutual withdrawal of forces from Hodeidah has been partially successful.
On July 2, Mr Griffiths met Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Anwar Gargash, and Minister of State for International Co-operation, Reem Al Hashimy, to discuss the conflict at the start of a regional tour.
Shortly after, UAE officials confirmed the country had redeployed troops in Yemen as it sought to move from a military outlook to focus on the peace process.