UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the legitimate Yemeni government is “the key to the solution” to the crisis in the war-torn country, praising the flexibility and cooperation it has showed.
He wrote these statements in a letter sent to Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, in which he thanked him for receiving on June 10 UN Undersecretary General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo.
He also welcomed the open and frank discussion that had taken place during the meeting.
He stressed that all the concerns raised by Hadi in his letter to him, and which were brought up and delivered as a formal document in his meeting with DiCarlo, were taken into consideration.
The relationship between the UN and Hadi’s government is the key to the solution, being the only legitimate representative for Yemenis, Guterres wrote, according to Saba news agency.
The letter also shed light on the partnership with the Yemeni government to reach the peaceful solution sought on the basis of the three references, represented by the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative, its executive mechanism, outcomes of the comprehensive national dialogue conference and relevant UN resolutions.
Guterres’ letter was in response to Hadi’s criticism of UN Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths, in which he accused him of legitimizing the Iran-backed Houthi militias.
“We will give Griffiths a last chance to reaffirm his commitment to the three terms of reference in all his efforts and to enforce the Stockholm agreement,” the letter added.
“I would also like to affirm that I can no longer accept the violations carried out by your special envoy and threaten reaching a solution all Yemenis have been looking forward to.”
DiCarlo had thanked Hadi for his government’s commitment to the full implementation of the Stockholm deal, which was reached between the legitimate government and Iran-backed Houthi militias in December.
She told Hadi she would stay in contact with the government to make sure that peace is moving forward.
She also noted that the presence of UN teams in Yemen would serve to offer any help, adding they were not planning on staying indefinitely in the country.
