UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said he was willing to discuss with the legitimate Yemeni government reservations expressed by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi on UN Envoy Martin Griffiths’ briefing to the Security Council on May 15, a high-ranking Yemeni official told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The Yemeni government official said that Griffiths would not attend the proposed meeting between the two sides.
“We will discuss with Guterres, or the person representing him, all the violations committed by the UN envoy to Yemen,” the source said.
“We will tell Guterres that the UN should focus on the three references, not take one-sided decisions and just stick to the clauses of the Stockholm deal” that was truck between the legitimacy and Houthi militias in December, the official added.
The meeting’s outcome will decide if the legitimate government would re-engage with Griffiths, according to the same source.
Last Thursday, Hadi sent a letter to Guterres in which he said he would no longer accept the ongoing violations committed by the UN envoy.
He criticized Griffiths for publicly praising the war criminal, Abdul Malak Al-Houthi.
Meanwhile, a UN source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Guterres has clarified his position by sending a letter to Hadi.
A few days ago, Guterres reiterated his “full confidence” in the envoy.
“In his letter to President Hadi the secretary-general says that the United Nations commitment to the Stockholm Agreement stems first and foremost from our deep desire to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people and assist in addressing the humanitarian crisis which continues to beset Yemen,” the UN chief’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said.
However, Dujarric failed to reveal in detail information on Guterres’ letter to Hadi.
Asharq Al-Awsat received a copy of the letter in which Guterres affirms that “every effort will be made to maintain the impartial stance that is expected of the United Nations” while implementing the Stockholm Agreement.
He also expressed keenness on the importance of reaching out to all parties to activate the written agreement and transform it into reality.
