UN Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths is expected to brief on Thursday the UN Security Council on the outcome of talks he conducted in Sanaa and Aden, and which he said have led to “concrete ideas” for achieving peace.
At the end of a three-day visit to the Yemeni capital, where he met with Houthi leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi, Griffiths said he would return to Aden to hold a second round of talks with President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.
“I look forward to work with all the parties urgently to find a solution first that will restore security and stability in Hodeidah but also create positive conditions for a rapid and urgent restart of political negotiations in the coming days,” the UN envoy said.
He expressed his reassurance by the messages he had received, which have been positive and constructive.
“All parties have not only underscored their strong desire for peace, but have also engaged with me on concrete ideas for achieving peace,” Griffiths said.
While the UN envoy expressed his optimism about the launch of peace talks in Yemen, informed sources in Sana’a said the Houthis have been suffering of disputes among their ranks, a situation that could constitute a threat to the rebel government.
The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the mounting disputes came amid an aggravated crisis of mistrust among leaders loyal to the General People’s Congress, pushing Houthis to rely on a small shadow government led by Mahdi al-Mashat.
The sources said that for the past three months, the rebel government of Houthis has not been holding weekly meetings. “Mashat tasked a small shadow government of sectarian Houthi ministers to take important decisions under his direct supervision, leaving less important decisions to the Houthis' unofficial government led by Abdulaziz bin Habtoor,” the sources said.
