Abu Dhabi: UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths has praised Saudi Arabia’s efforts to resolve the Yemeni crisis as “exceptional”.
In his briefing to the UN Security Council Tuesday, Griffiths accused the Al Houthi militia of rejecting a ceasefire and imposing conditions that do not end the war, stressing the need to end the conflict.
“Although the dialogue is complicated, it is the only solution,” he said.
Griffiths said the Yemeni parties were unable to agree, while Al Houthi insists on a separate agreement on the ports and the airport as a precondition for ceasefire talks and the political process.
The Yemeni government demands that all measures be implemented as one package, including the start of a ceasefire.
The UN envoy stressed that the ceasefire has an undeniable humanitarian value, pointing out that any political settlement should reflect the interests of the various parties to the conflict, but it must also guarantee the interests and rights of those affected by the conflict, not only those who work to perpetuate it.
On the Iranian interference in Yemen, Griffiths said: “Over the course of the conflict, the political and armed parties have multiplied and fragmented, and foreign interference has increased, and what was possible with regard to resolving the conflict in the past years is no longer possible today, and what is possible today may not be possible in the future.”
He stressed that Yemen needs for its survival, safety and interest of its citizens a government that is accountable to its people and united in its support for basic rights, in addition to an open and prosperous economy, warning that every day the war continues is a threat to this future. He said that Yemen needs a political process and a settlement that includes everyone and keeps it away from conflict episodes, pointing out that the basic principles are clear: political partnership, accountable governance, sovereignty, economic and social justice, and equal citizenship.
The UN envoy touched on the situation in Taiz, saying: “The people of Taiz have suffered six years of war, and we have seen brave press reports conveying the picture of repeated bombing of their homes and landmines that impede their access to schools, places of worship and work, and no one should live in this way, It is a shame for all of us that the Taiz understanding agreed upon in Stockholm did not lead to any results. He called on all parties to make concessions and take advantage of opportunities to resolve the conflict, saying: “What worries me most is the absence of comprehensive Yemeni peace talks.”
