UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths is expected in Riyadh on Wednesday to meet with leaders of the Yemeni legitimacy with hopes to winning back its government’s trust and to restore relations with its presidency after two months of suspension of communication between the two sides, UN sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Griffiths’ visit comes a few days after leaked reports that the legitimate government might withdraw from the Stockholm Deal, mainly after Houthi militias launched attacks on Abha civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia, and continued to violate the truce in the province of Hodeidah.
The sources said that after landing in Riyadh on Wednesday, Griffiths would hold talks with Vice President Ali Mohsen Saleh al-Ahmar due to the presence of Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in the United States for routine medical checkups.
The UN envoy would also meet deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdullah al-Hadrami.
Observers predicted that in Riyadh, Griffiths would seek to offer assurances to the legitimate government and to stress the UN commitment to implement the Sweden deal, including the redeployment in the city of Hodeidah and its three ports, in addition to other deals on hostages and lifting the siege around the city of Taiz.
Last month, Hadi sent a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in which he said he would no longer accept the ongoing violations committed by the UN envoy, criticizing Griffiths for publicly praising the Houthis.
However, on Tuesday, the sources expected that the legitimate government would give Griffiths a last chance to continue his efforts after receiving assurances from Guterres last week that the UN would accomplish its mission in Yemen on the basis of the three references represented by the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative, its executive mechanism, outcomes of the comprehensive national dialogue conference and relevant UN resolutions.
