Houthi militias have continued to shy away from the implementation of the first phase of the Stockholm Agreement on Hodeidah that was struck between Yemen’s warring sides in the Swedish capital in December.
Yemen’s Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani said the deadline for the Houthi withdrawal from the ports of of Saleef and Ras Issa ended on Thursday, adding that the insurgents were “manipulating” the deal on redeployment of forces in line with the plan proposed by the head of the UN observer mission in Yemen, Danish former general Michael Lollesgaard.
Yamani urged Lollesgaard, who also leads the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), and UN special envoy Martin Griffiths to take a decisive stance from the Houthi “procrastination and the militias’ intransigence.”
In a statement published by Saba news agency, the Foreign Minister said: “The UN should raise its voice and urgently name the party that is rejecting and preventing the implementation of the (Stockholm) Agreement.”
The deadline for the implementation of the redeployment’s first phase ended on Thursday and the insurgents continue to reject their pullout from Saleef and Ras Issa “for unknown reasons,” Yamani added.
His statement came as British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt met in Oman on Friday with Houthi spokesman Mohamed Abdul Salem.
He said he asked the militias to speed up their withdrawal from the ports.
“Just met Houthi spokesman Mohamed Abdul Salem in Oman. I welcome progress in Hodeidah port discussions but withdrawal of Houthi troops needs to happen SOON to maintain confidence in Stockholm and allow opening of vital humanitarian channels,” Hunt said on his official Twitter account.
Meanwhile, Griffiths left Sanaa empty-handed after holding three days of talks with Houthi leaders in hopes of convincing them to implement the pullout plan drawn by Lollesgaard.
According to informed political sources in Sanaa, the head of the militias refused to meet with the UN envoy, a move that clearly indicates the manipulative behavior of Houthis and their rejection of peace in Yemen.
