After UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths concluded his statement ahead of the Security Council in New York via video teleconference from Amman last Monday, he accompanied General Michael Lollesgaard to Riyadh on Wednesday carrying a new draft plan for the last arrangements in the province of Hodeidah.
While Griffiths and Lollesgaard met Wednesday with Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and Speaker Sultan al-Burkani, Yemen's Minister of Culture, Marwan Damaj criticized the new UN plan and he told Asharq Al-Awsat it “clearly legitimizes the Houthi presence in Hodeidah.”
The minister said the plan benefits the militias because it protects their security, administrative and financial authority in the city and its ports, but eliminates the presence of the legitimate government.
Damaj said Article 8 of Griffiths’ plan refers to the nature of forces that would be deployed in the Sweden deal.
“The text of the plan clearly asserts that Houthis will administer all the ports with their forces, already present in Hodeidah,” he said.
Damaj rejected Griffith’s new plan and he accused the UN envoy of seeking to keep the existing status quo in the province.
Last Monday, Griffiths said the legitimate government and Houthis have accepted a detailed redeployment plan in Hodeidah, and that his team was working on resolving the final outstanding issues related to the operational plans for phase two, redeployments and also the issue of the status of local security forces.
Following his meeting with Griffiths and Lollesgaard on Wednesday, Hadi said his government already made concessions repeatedly in spite of Houthi’s intransigence and reluctance to implement the agreements reached to, most recent of all is Stockholm Agreement, Saba news agency reported.
“Four months have passed, yet the militia has kept on foot-dragging, capitalizing on the Yemeni peoples' suffering to gain more personal and sectarian gains,” Hadi told the UN team.
The UN envoy did not comment on his meeting with the Yemeni President.
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