The Houthi group renewed its rejection to hand over Hodeida and its port and to withdraw from the remaining ports and regions of the western coast, at a time when France's ambassador to Yemen Christian Tetsot arrived in Sanaa to pressure the group to approve a plan proposed by UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths.
The arrival of the French ambassador coincided with statements made by Abdulmalik al-Houthi, leader of Houthis. During their meeting, Houthi leaders and Testot focused on the consequences of the humanitarian condition in the country, while hinting at the human rights aspect in an attempt to influence the French stance regarding the Yemeni crisis.
The Houthis exploited the announced truce by the legit forces and the supporting coalition by continuing to mobilize thousands of followers to the western coast.
The Houthi sources quoted the French ambassador as saying that the purpose behind the visit is to clarify the standpoint of Paris towards the Yemeni cause. The French stance believes that there is no military solution for the crisis and urges a political negotiation process towards forming a national unity government.
Sources close to the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Houthi foreign minister and his deputy had informed the ambassador that the offer made by the group had already been submitted to UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths during his visit to Sanaa, and that the complete withdrawal from Hodeidah and its harbor and from the west coast was out of the question, with it being a matter of life or death.
The Houthi sources claimed that the group's minister of foreign affairs and his deputy asked the French ambassador to prevent the selling of weaponry to the Coalition Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen. They also tried to tempt the ambassador through affirming that the group welcomes French firms and businessmen to invest in regions ruled by Houthis.
The government, headed by Ahmad Obaid Bin Dagher, is holding discussions in Riyadh with ambassadors of Western states in Yemen, in an attempt to explain the government standpoint towards the resumption of negotiations with Houthis.
President Hadi assigned a ministerial committee to study the suggestions proposed by Griffiths – the suggestions include the general framework for the resumption of negotiations between the legitimate government and the Houthis.
The legit government fears that the Western diplomatic connections (especially the European) with Houthis would influence the crisis and future outcomes. It is illogical to tackle the Yemeni crisis as if it is between two equal parties, said government officials and pro-government activists.
