The United States is banking on the efforts of United Nations envoy Martin Griffiths to push forward a peaceful solution to the crisis in Yemen. The UN, for its part, believes that a nationwide ceasefire is needed for the political solution to start moving forward.
UN Secretary of State Antony Blinken held an introductory call with Griffiths on Sunday to express his country’s concern over the deteriorating situation in Yemen, particularly the humanitarian toll on the Yemeni people.
He underscored that the United States’ efforts under Special Envoy Lenderking intend to reinvigorate diplomatic efforts, alongside the UN and others, to end the war in Yemen, said a State Department statement. He also expressed Washington’s support for Griffiths’ efforts to bring all parties to consensus.
For his part, Griffiths said they “shared updates on efforts to resume the political process in Yemen under the UN framework and the way forward including through nationwide ceasefire, opening Sanaa airport and easing port restrictions.”
The Biden administration’s intervention to end Yemen's long conflict “has energized a once lifeless peace process,” observers said according to AFP.
"American involvement is bringing new momentum" to end the stalemate, a western official told AFP. "The support for Griffiths has never been stronger."
Despite the optimism, Lenderking received a cool response to his proposal to kick off a revived peace process, and a source close to the UN efforts said the initiative is effectively on hold until the battle raging outside the city of Marib is won or lost.
The Iran-backed Houthi militias are throwing everything they have at the fight for the capital of an oil-rich region, sustaining heavy casualties as a price worth paying for the last piece of the north that the government still controls.
The battle is "holding back the negotiations ... because the Houthis want to see how far they can go," the source familiar with the UN efforts told AFP.
Lenderking was appointed envoy by President Joe Biden earlier this year and he kicked off his mission with a tour of Gulf states. He spent 17 days in the region, visited six countries and met with numerous officials concerned with the Yemen crisis. He also met with Houthi officials in Oman.
Lenderking has said he will return to the region when the Houthis "are prepared to talk".
"We now have a sound plan for a nationwide ceasefire, with elements that would immediately address Yemen's dire humanitarian situation directly," he told an Atlantic Council virtual conference on Friday.
"That plan has been before the Houthi leadership for a number of days," he said.
"Tragically, and somewhat confusingly for me, it appears that the Houthis are prioritizing a military campaign to take Marib over ... suspending the war and moving relief to the Yemeni people."
