US Special Envoy Tim Lenderking asserted that his country is ready to play a constructive role in bringing Yemeni parties together, while announcing that Washington is imposing sanctions on Houthi commanders.
The international community is more troubled with the group’s use of violence in Yemen and the US is “troubled by the fact that the Houthis continue to fight in Marib,” Lenderking said in a call with reporters, asserting that despite all their predictions, the city did not fall during Ramadan.
"It’s not falling now and it’s not going to fall anytime in the foreseeable future. So, the Houthis aren’t winning in Marib and instead, they are putting a great deal of stress on an already very fragile humanitarian situation.”
The new sanctions were imposed on the head of the general staff leading the Houthi offensive in Marib, Mohamad Abdulkarim al-Gamali, and prominent Houthi leader Yousuf al-Madani.
“If there were no offensive, if there was a commitment to peace, if the parties were all showing up to deal constructively with the UN envoy there would be no need for designations,” Lenderking said.
He indicated that the US is imposing sanctions on the two officials to show the international community that Washington “does have levers to press” and it is “dissatisfied with the actions of the Houthis.”
The envoy said the US “constantly and continually” assesses Houthi behavior and actions.
Lenderking’s resentment was evident during his statements, and he was displeased with the Houthis for refusing to meet with UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths.
The envoy’s statements revealed disparities between the US administration and the UN. However, he stressed that Washington agrees with the objectives of the UN peace plan.
“We are not the United Nations. We are the United States. We have our own voice. We have our own perspective. We have our own expertise. We have our own views on the conflict and how to resolve it. And in that regard, we are very clear with the United Nations, very open conversations that we have with them, about the way forward. And it’s an excellent relationship, and we have great respect for the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths,” asserted Lenderking.
Asharq Al-Awsat asked the envoy about the possibility of meeting the Houthis after they refused to hold talks with Griffiths. Lenderking indicated that he met them over the years on a number of occasions and at different levels, and certainly there is no restriction from the administration on meeting with them, describing it as a “constructive engagement.”
“Houthis have an important role to play in Yemen, and we’re eager to get beyond the military conflict so that the Houthis can play that role and begin to talk about – begin a real conversation and a sustained conversation that brings Yemenis together to decide the future of their country,” said the envoy.
He also stressed that the international community has a responsibility which it is eager to meet to create that platform so that Yemenis can be talking together, noting that “we’re all impatient to get there. And as the fighting continues, it becomes more difficult to get to that very important objective.”
Lenderking pointed out that during his five trips to the Gulf region since his appointment, he had contact with all of the Gulf countries, and has been in very close contact with European partners.
On his last trip, Lenderking traveled with Griffiths and US Senator Chris Murphy, which he thinks "showed the alignment between the branches of the US Government and the United States and the United Nations. And I do think, as an observer, as a keen observer of the Yemen conflict for the last six years, I haven’t seen this level of alignment between the administration and Congress.”
He noted that there is also a “very strong alignment” between member states of the UN Security Council toward a resolution of the Yemen conflict.
The envoy said he was disappointed that on his last trip to Oman, the Houthis declined to meet with the UN special envoy, noting that wasn’t just that particular meeting that was problematic.
“It’s a trend, where the Houthis while showing constructive engagement on a number of occasions with different stakeholders, have then backtracked or, as we say in sports terminology, moved the goalposts to what has been agreed to. And there won’t be a peace deal without strong Houthi support.”
He also indicated that Houthis are putting a “great deal of stress on an already very fragile humanitarian situation,” and putting the lives of “one million internally displaced people – these are people who have already fled from war in Yemen they’re putting their lives in danger as well.”
“The offensive in Marib is not going anywhere. There’s a significant amount of intimidation of Yemeni tribes and families that are involved to get young men to go to the battlefield. They’re not dying for a valuable cause, in the view of the United States and in the view of the international community,” Lenderking told reporters.
He noted that the international community has become more aligned on the fact that the Marib offensive is deeply troubling, and also counter to claims by the Houthis to want to make peace.
The envoy also addressed the talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran, saying it is “potentially a constructive engagement, and we wish both parties success because it will be not only good for the overall tensions in the region, but there should be a positive impact on the Yemen conflict in particular.”
“We are not a part of that discussion directly, as you know. But it also hearkens back to, I think, an important softening of tone in the Saudi crown prince’s interview some weeks ago both toward Iran and both toward the Houthis.”
The US welcomes any change toward the positive side from the Iranians on the Yemen conflict. However, “we don’t see it. We see continued Iranian support for the Houthi military effort both in Marib, both across the border, in trading and supplying sophisticated weaponry which inflames the conflict.”
Lenderking stated that the US is consistently one of the largest donors to the Yemen conflict, lauding the US citizens and taxpayers for supporting a distant conflict and the suffering that’s going on there.
“I believe that that support will continue, and I think that the US intends to lead by example,” indicated the envoy, pointing out that since the beginning of the conflict, the United States has funded more than $3.4 billion toward relief in Yemen, and that includes across many sectors of the Yemeni economy and the Yemeni social structure and for COVID relief as well.
He asserted that the US would uphold its interests and stand by its “friends in the region,” adding that Washington is committed to consulting closely with its allies regarding its policy on Iran.
The Envoy asserted that the US supports dialogue between countries in the region in the interest of security and stability, noting that if Iran wants to show it can be a reasonable actor, “now is the time to start doing so by not meddling and fueling the conflict in Yemen, and by supporting peace talks.”
