UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths is in Washington seeking solutions and international support for his mission to end the Yemeni crisis and implement UN Resolution 2216.
Reliable diplomatic sources informed Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that Griffiths is expected to meet with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and several Congressmen.
The sources said Griffiths has been engaged in the past few months in a shuttle diplomacy that took him to Sanaa, Muscat, Jeddah, New York and lastly Washington in an attempt to spare Hodeidah a new military battle between the government forces supported by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and the Iran-backed Houthi insurgents.
An agreement between the UN envoy and militias faces huge challenges due to the intransigence of Houthis, said the sources.
However, Griffiths is receiving international support in his attempt to call for the implementation of Resolution 2216.
Griffiths held talks with UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, and UAE Ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba in order to intensify efforts for a political solution in Hodeidah in particular and Yemen in general.
According to “Defense News,” US administration officials have in recent months stressed that the Arab Coalition is committed to avoid harming civilians in Yemen.
