UN envoy Martin Griffiths met Yemeni officials in Riyadh on Monday (November 26th) as part of efforts to kick-start peace talks next month between the Iran-backed Houthis (Ansarallah) and the Yemeni government, AFP reported.
The visit comes as a tenuous calm settles over the port city of al-Hodeidah, a vital lifeline for imports and aid held by the Houthis which had seen fierce clashes in a renewed offensive by pro-government forces backed by the Arab coalition.
Griffiths, who is spearheading efforts to hold peace talks in Sweden in December, met Yemen's Vice President Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar and Foreign Minister Khalid al-Yamani in the Saudi capital.
The Yemeni leaders discussed with Griffiths arrangements for the upcoming negotiations and possible "confidence building measures" to test the Houthis’ "seriousness" about peace efforts, local media reported.
The UN envoy, who visited al-Hodeidah last week to assess the humanitarian situation, also was expected to meet with Yemen's internationally recognised President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, a Saudi government source said.
Pro-government military officials told AFP on Monday that their operations in the east and south of the Red Sea city had been suspended.
Humanitarian organisations are desperate to see the current peace push translate into a more permanent halt to the conflict.
UN agencies say 14 million Yemenis are at risk of starvation and the closure of al-Hodeidah port would further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis.
