UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths met in Riyadh on Wednesday with the government team in the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), before expected talks with Saudi officials Thursday, Asharq Al-Awsat learned.
The meeting comes after chair of the RCC and head of United Nations Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) Abhijit Guha succeeded this week in setting up and reinforcing four observation posts where liaison officers from both the legitimate government and Houthi militias monitor a ceasefire in the southern part of the Yemeni city.
The posts built along Hodeidah port city frontlines between the Yemeni warring parties allow the UN to redeploy its members and observe the truce in Hodeidah from all sides.
The first observation point was established in al-Mouthalath on Saturday, the second was set up in Saleh on Sunday, a third in the Kilo 16 district on Monday and the fourth in the southern al-Manzar area on Tuesday.
Guha said he has observed this process on the ground over the past four days.
"The two parties (the Yemeni government and the Houthis) finalized written agreements in all four locations and deployed liaison officers at each observation post," Guha was quoted by a UN statement as saying on Wednesday.
Griffiths welcomed the move.
In a tweet posted on his account, Griffiths said: “I welcome the establishment of the joint observation posts by Yemeni parties and the deployment of liaison officers along the Hodeidah city frontlines in Yemen. This step forward will enhance de-escalation in flashpoint areas and save lives.”
The RCC has managed to bring together the legitimate government and Houthi representatives for six rounds of talks aimed at implementing the Stockholm agreement.
Observers expect the UN to plan a seventh meeting of the RCC soon to discuss the security issue in Hodeidah and the forces that would protect the port, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
