UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths departed the Yemeni capital Sanaa Tuesday after holding brief talks with the leader of the Houthis as part of his efforts to convince the Iran-backed militias to implement the first phase of redeployment in the ports of Hodeidah.
As Griffiths was leaving Sanaa, Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yemany told Asharq Al-Awsat that his government is exerting efforts to issue a UN Security Council statement confirming the the Houthis were obstructing peace in Yemen.
“The government, in coordination with Arab coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen, is working on issuing a Security Council statement, which reveals for the first time that Iranian-backed Houthi militias are hindering all peace efforts,” he added.
The minister added that during the next two days, he plans to meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York and representatives of Security Council member states to discuss the latest developments in Yemen and push the international community to acknowledge that the Houthis do not want to see an end to the war.
Meanwhile, informed sources in Sanaa said Griffiths was unable to convince Houthi chief, Abul Malek Houthi, to accept the UN-sponsored redeployment plan, devised by head of the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) in Hodeidah, Michael Lollesgaard and supported by the Yemeni government.
“During his meeting with Griffiths, Houthi renewed the militia’s attachment to keep Hodeidah and its ports under the security, administrative and financial grip of the militias, in the presence of a superficial UN custodianship,” the sources said.
They added that he also rejected the presence of any forces from the legitimate government.
According to the sources, the militia leader was keen on exerting pressure on the UN officials to allow the entry of Iranian oil via the Hodeidah port. Iran offers oil to the Houthis to support their efforts in fighting the legitimate government.
Griffiths made no comments before leaving the Sanaa airport.
Unlike previous trips, the envoy only met al-Houthi during his short stay in the capital.
