An official at the office of United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed denied on Friday that any of his aides had contacted Houthi leaders residing in Beirut.
The official told Asharq Al-Awsat that the envoy had never even traveled to Lebanon since he was appointed to his post.
He made his remarks in response to media claims that Ould Cheikh had met Houthis in the Lebanese capital.
The official added: “There is no second line of contacts between the envoy and Houthis. All contacts are being done transparently and through the usual channels.”
The envoy had recently announced a new comprehensive solution to resolve the crisis in Yemen that started with a coup in 2014.
The official at Ould Cheikh’s office said: “We have not yet fully and officially presented this initiative to any side. The envoy will work on this in the upcoming days.”
