Houthi leaders deny meeting with UN envoy in Sana’a

Spokesperson of Yemen’s Houthi militias Mohamed Abdel Salam denied meeting with UN Envoy to Yemen Ismail Cheikh Ould Ahmed during his recent three-day visit to Sana’a. The statement came after Ould Ahmed’s statements that he conducted meetings with representatives of Houthi militias and Motammar Party of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Houthi official said that what the UN envoy said is not true, as he did not conduct any meeting with us or with our representatives during his visit to Sana’a. The statement is considered the first reaction from the Houthi militias to the efforts exerted by the UN official to gather the Yemeni conflicting parties in the negotiating table. During his visit, the Special Envoy said that he met as well with members of the Yemeni Women’s Pact for Peace and Security and representatives of civil society organizations to discuss current political challenges and security concerns in addition to the economic crisis and recent outbreak of cholera. In a meeting with Yemeni youth, the Special Envoy discussed mechanisms for greater youth contribution to international efforts to reach a peaceful resolution to the conflict in addition to possible solutions to reopen Sana’a International Airport and prevent further deterioration of the economic and humanitarian situation. At the end of his visit, the Special Envoy expressed his deep concern regarding the grave attack on his convoy while traveling from the airport to the UN compound on 22 May. The Special Envoy reminded the parties that it is the responsibility of the local authorities to ensure the safety of all UN personnel in the country and urged them to investigate the incident, hold those responsible to account, and prevent any such incidents in the future. The Special Envoy indicated that the incident increased his determination to continue with his efforts to find a negotiated political settlement that serves the best interests of the Yemeni people. The Special Envoy’s visit to Sana’a, follows visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar where he met with government officials as part of his efforts to find a political solution to the conflict in Yemen. He also met with senior World Bank officials in order to support the World Bank – UN collaboration to address the growing food insecurity and economic crisis in Yemen." On the other hand, The United Nations urged authorities in Houthi-controlled Sana’a today to investigate a “grave attack” on the convoy of its envoy to Yemen during his visit to the capital. UN special envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed was in Sana’a for three days of talks aimed at preventing military action at the strategic port of Hodeidah, the entry point for 70 per cent of Yemen’s food supplies as well as humanitarian aid. A UN statement said that Ahmed’s convoy came under attack while travelling from the airport in Sana’a to the United Nations compound. The Houthi-run Saba news agency has denied any attack.

Source: Timesofoman