Yemeni Vice President Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar held talks with the UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, on Wednesday in Riyadh.
Ahmar met with Griffiths on behalf of Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi who had left Riyadh for a medical checkup that has been scheduled since four months in the US, according to government sources.
Ahmar delivered the internationally-recognized government’s notes on the latest initiative presented by Griffiths on arriving to a joint declaration with the Houthi militias regarding a ceasefire, arrangements on humanitarian and economic measures, and resuming negotiations for a comprehensive solution.
According to the official Saba News Agency, Ahmar confirmed that Houthi evasiveness and their refusal to allow a team of international experts to assess and perform maintenance work on the Safer oil tanker, which is anchored off the port of Hodeidah, is considered disrespectful to all international efforts on that front.
Ahmar praised the efforts exerted by Griffiths and his team on the Yemeni front, and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to achieving sustainable peace according to the three main references which are the Gulf Initiative, the outcome of the national dialogue and UN Security Council Resolution 2216.
He also shed light on the suffering Yemenis are experiencing due to successive crises, like diseases and harsh living conditions amid the intransigence and negligence of Houthi militias.
Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik, who attended the meeting between Griffiths and Ahmar, discussed the Houthis’ continued plundering of state revenues and their obstruction of the delivery of oil byproducts.
Houthis have reneged on the Amman agreement and have not been depositing port revenues in the specialized account at the Central Bank of Yemen to pay the salaries of civil servants.
Abdulmalik also underscored the looming dangers threatening marine life and the environment due to the derelict Safer oil tanker and the role Houthis are playing in aggravating that threat by refusing to allow a technical team on board to assess, unload and perform maintenance work.