UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths has wrapped up his most recent tour in the Omani capital, Muscat, where he met with the head of the Houthi foreign affairs, Abdulsalam Fleitah.
During his visit, Griffiths also met with Omani mediators. This coincided with the US State Department announcing that Special Envoy Tim Lenderking was coming back to the region to press for a ceasefire in Yemen.
Griffiths’ meetings and Lenderking’s return follows Saudi Arabia announcing a peace plan for its war-torn neighbor. The initiative includes a comprehensive cease-fire and the reopening of Sanaa airport. It would also ease restrictions on Hodeidah port and restart the political process in the country.
While the international and regional communities are hoping that diplomatic efforts will succeed in luring Iran-backed Houthi militias into a peace process, many are doubting the group's seriousness in picking up the Saudi initiative and building on it to end the war in Yemen.
Political analysts and officials in the UN-recognized Yemeni government are warning against false optimism towards Houthis engaging in peace efforts, pointing out that the group’s history is rampant with evasiveness and disregard to international resolutions.
Despite leaked initial reports saying that Houthis have accepted the Saudi initiative with some reservations, the militia’s leaders have given statements that suggest otherwise.
In his most recent speech, Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi, who heads the Iran-aligned group, vowed having the war log its seventh year and rejected answering to pressure from world states and the UN Security Council.
In Muscat, Griffiths tried to inspire Houthis to cooperate with the Saudi peace plan and return to negotiations.
“They discussed the urgency to agree on opening Sanaa airport and... entering a nationwide ceasefire and resuming the political dialogue under a UN framework to pave the way for sustainable peace,” Griffiths' office said in a tweet on Friday, following the envoy’s meeting with Fleitah.
Talks also centered on “easing restrictions on Hodeida,” the Red Sea port that is a lifeline gateway for food, fuel and humanitarian aid entering Yemen.
