UN envoy holds talks with Yemen president amid preparations to boost Hodeidah monitoring team
JEDDAH: The United Nations envoy for Yemen held talks Tuesday with the country’s president, as he sought to shore up a truce in key port Hodeidah.
Martin Griffiths met with the Yemeni authorities after seeing Houthi militant leaders in Sanaa on a tour aimed at ensuring both sides make good on a ceasefire deal agreed in Sweden last month.
Yemen’s internationally recognized leader Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi expressed his “support for the efforts and work” of Griffiths at the talks in the Saudi capital, the Saba news agency reported.
The head of the president’s office Abdullah al-Alimi wrote on Twitter that Hadi remained committed to the Sweden accord and stood ready to open up “all humanitarian access.”
Griffiths is set to brief the UN Security Council Wednesday on the ceasefire deal, AFP repoted.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has asked the Security Council to approve the deployment of up to 75 observers to Hodeidah for six months to monitor the ceasefire, Reuters reported.
The council will need to take action on Guterres’ request by about Jan. 20, when a 30-day authorization for an advance monitoring team led by retired Dutch General Patrick Cammaert expires.
It was not immediately clear how many monitors were currently on the ground with Cammaert.
The United Nations has said the monitors are not uniformed or armed.
In his Dec. 31 proposal to the council, seen by Reuters, Guterres described the proposed 75-strong team as “a nimble presence” to monitor compliance of the deal and establish and assess facts and conditions on the ground.
The UN has said the truce has largely held in the city since the agreement came into force on Dec. 18.
The pro-Hadi Arab coalition, which includes Saudi Arabia, has accused the Houthis of dozens of violations of the truce.
Griffiths is looking to push on with steps agreed in Sweden, including the redeployment of rival forces from Hodeidah.
He is also hoping to bring the sides together again for a new round of peace talks later this month.
The war in Yemen was sparked when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014.
The conflict has unleashed the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, according to the UN, which says 14 million Yemenis are on the brink of famine.
*With AFP and Reuters
