What did the UN Envoy visit to the Yemeni Capital Accomplish? (Report)
YemenExtra
M.A.
Isaac Ali (Monday, Jan. 7)
Martin Griffith, the United Nations envoy to Yemen, returned to the capital of Sanaa last Saturday to enhance the fragile cease-fire agreement of Yemen’s Hodeidah. During his stay in Sanaa, he met the leader of the Yemeni revolution, Sayyid Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, in addition to other officials in the Salvation government based in Sanaa.
Head of Sanaa Delegation, Mr. Mohammad Abdul Salam, confirmed on his official social media accounts of the meeting between Martin Griffith and Sayyid al-Houthi.
He stated that Sayyid al-Houthi pointed out during the meeting to the obstacles, disabilities, and violations that faced the Stockholm Agreement as a result of the Saudi-led aggression, stressing on the importance of expediting the implementation of the agreement.
Mr. Abdul Salam added that Sayyid al-Houthi expressed his readiness on the fulfillment of other steps regarding the truce in the province of Taiz, salaries payment throughout the Republic of Yemen, the opening of Sanaa International Airport and the release of prisoners, according to what has been agreed upon.
“He deplored the slow and stalled process of the Stockholm Agreement that isn’t going according to the agreed timeframe,” Abdul Salam stated, quoting Sayyid al-Houthi.
At the end of his writing, Abdul slam concluded that the meeting also spoke about the preparations for the next round of Yemen’s peace talks, which was dealt with effectively to ensure a successful political consultation that would achieve peace and end the ”aggressive war”.
The British envoy to Yemen has also gone on an official meeting with the President of the Supreme Political Council Mahdi al-Mashat, in which the president desperately told the UN envoy that the humanitarian file did not receive any progress despite what was agreed upon in the consultations of Sweden, stressing on the importance of taking serious steps in this file that cannot take any further delays.
The President praised the efforts of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, willingly to support such efforts to implement the agreement of Sweden and alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the Saudi-led aggression along with its imposed siege.
The president held full responsibility for the failure to implement the Swedish agreement on the other party, adding that even if there were steps initiated by the Supreme Political Council and the Government of National Salvation, which was the redeployment in the port of Hodeidah and handing it over to the Coast Guard department and other steps on the ground.
The meeting, which was attended by Prime Minister Dr. Abdul Aziz Saleh bin Habtoor, included the humanitarian situation in Yemen and the importance of taking serious steps on this humanitarian issue plus easing the repercussions that were resulted by the Saudi aggressive war and siege.
The meeting also discussed the hindering of the Saudi-led forces in blocking humanitarian aid delivery, relief, medicines and oil derivatives, which are considered to be a transparent violation of the Stockholm agreement.
The President of the House of Representatives also took part in this meeting, stressing that after signing any agreement, is not entitled to any party to evade its implementation or coup against it.
For his part, the UN envoy said he will work hard to implement what was agreed upon in Sweden, pointing out that he will take steps in progressing the humanitarian file and also, the opening of Sanaa International Airport.
The head of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee Mohamed Ali al-Houthi showed adherence to the Stockholm agreement after he sat down with UN envoy for discussions.
“We told the UN envoy that we are ready to implement all the terms of the Hodeidha agreement without going back,” the head of the Revolutionary committee said.
The Supreme Revolutionary Chairman demanded the UN envoy for “an independent financial commission of professionals, to look at the accounts of the Central Bank of Yemen and branches, accusing the Saudi local mercenaries of causing large imbalances, warning that not all incomes within the main account of the government are being deposited in the branches of the Central Bank of Yemen.
He explained that the UN envoy will return to Sanaa again, after going to the Saudi capital Riyadh to meet the ousted former Yemeni government, which is backed by the Saudi kingdom, in order to overcome the obstacles placed by their committees.
Minister Hisham Sharaf of the foreign affairs ministry had also met the UN envoy. The minister
Stressed that the other party is evading its commitments and using its media and the Saudi aggression to spread propaganda, contrary to what is happening on the ground. He said there are attempts to thwart and circumvent the outcome of the consultations of Sweden, by the coalition of aggression and its mercenaries, in addition to hindering the access of humanitarian aid, commercial goods, and oil derivatives by creating obstacles and delays.
As his sojourn to the Yemeni capital was at its end, Martin Griffith had confirmed that the Hodeidah agreement on local security forces was clear and the debate was settled in Sweden as he explained this to the national (Sanaa) delegations during a meeting with them during his visit in Sanaa.
Yemen has been suffering from a Saudi-led military campaign since 2015, which has caused the worlds worst humanitarian crisis, in addition of pushing the impoverished state to the brink of famine, according to a previous statement by the United Nations.
After 4 years of a brutal war, the spokesman of the salvation government has declared that the number of civilians killed till last year it amounted to be 15359 people, while the number of injured is 24121, in a total of 39480 people between killed and injured; in addition to more than 22 million are in vital need of humanitarian aid.
This post originally ran on Yamanyoon