The UN and US special envoys to Yemen have filled in senior officials in the legitimate Yemeni government about responses they received from Houthi representatives regarding the new Saudi peace initiative for the war-torn country.
The new plan announced by Saudi Arabia last week includes a nationwide ceasefire, opening Sanaa airport, allowing fuel and other commodities into Yemen through Hodeidah and resuming the political process.
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, during separate meetings with each of the US and UN envoys, reiterated his government’s support for peace efforts that are based on international resolutions, the Gulf initiative and outcomes of national dialogue.
Hadi reaffirmed he totally rejected Houthis’ copying of the Iranian experience in Yemen.
He said that the “Yemeni people will not accept the reproduction of the Iranian experience and the return of defunct clerical rule in Yemen no matter the cost,” adding that his government had made many concessions that have been met with intransigence from the Tehran-backed militias.
He also called on the international community to financially support the government to be able to carry out its duties and humanitarian tasks and complete the steps to implement the Riyadh Agreement, stressing the importance of the efforts of UN envoy Martin Griffiths.
Griffiths, on Friday and Saturday, met with the head of Houthi foreign affairs, Mohammed Abdulsalam, in the Omani capital, Muscat.
He also met with Omani mediators as part of his efforts to convince the militias to positively engage with the Saudi initiative and reboot negotiations.
This coincided with the US State Department announcing that Special Envoy Tim Lenderking was coming back to the region to press for peace in Yemen.
Despite many doubting Houthis coming around and committing to serious peace efforts, diplomatic sources have revealed that the public stance of the militias differs from what its officials are saying behind closed doors.
“We believe Griffiths’ visit to Muscat was positive. What is being rumored about a Houthi rejection is just what the group would like the public to know. Houthis are being serious when discussing peace efforts with the UN envoy,” a diplomatic source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat.
