Recent calls by the UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, in addition to invitations made by the UK for holding comprehensive consultations between the legitimate government and Houthi insurgents on a political solution to the country, have caused widespread anger among Yemenis who support the internationally-recognized government.
Many Yemenis considered these efforts and calls in service of the Iran-backed Houthi group in light of its failure to commit to the implementation of the Stockholm Agreement, especially with regard to Hodeidah.
Political analyst and media adviser at the Yemeni embassy in Cairo Baligh Al-Mikhlafi believes that the UN envoy is “looking for an extension of his mission, as he works for himself, and not for Yemenis.”
Yemeni political activist Hamdan Al-Alyi believes that the statements made by Griffiths and backed by the British Ambassador to Yemen, Michael Aron, are to escape declaring the failure of the Stockholm Agreement.
Al-Alyi says that a year after the signing of the Agreement what happened was only the implementation of the Houthi demands, which is to stop Hodeidah province’s liberation.
"We appreciate the efforts of the British ambassador and the UN envoy, and we realize the sincerity of their intentions, but they must know that, in the eyes of the Yemenis, they are one of the reasons for prolonging the war in Yemen. Had it not been for the pressure they exerted against the legitimate government to stop the liberation of Hodeidah, the war would have ended today," Al-Alyi told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Yemeni journalist Waddah Al-Jalil, for his part, describes international and British calls for consultations on a comprehensive solution as “irrational.”
Al-Jalil believes that “there is coordination between the Houthis and the UN envoy to force the legitimate government to make concessions.”
