Yemen: UN envoy completes visit to Saudi Arabia as part of efforts to secure peace

The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen today concluded a visit to Saudi Arabia before his briefing to the Security Council this week on his preparations for peace talks that he hopes will “lead to concrete benefits for the Yemeni people and the foundation for sustainable peace.”

The Special Envoy also welcomed the statement Sunday by the officials of the Government of Yemen in which they expressed their willingness to participate in peace talks with the Houthi rebels.

“In the coming weeks, Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed will be working with Government representatives, the Houthis and their allies, to complete preparations for the talks, which will help ensure that the negotiations lead to concrete benefits for the Yemeni people and the foundation for sustainable peace,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told the daily press briefing at UN Headquarters in New York.

While in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, the envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, met with Yemen’s President Mansour Hadi and Vice-President Khaled Bahah, as well as key Saudi officials including Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef Bin Abdelaziz Al Saud, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud and Minister for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir.

In addition, Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed met representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and representatives of the diplomatic community in Riyadh during his three-day visit.

The envoy will be in New York this week to brief the 15-member UN Security Council on Wednesday on the latest updates and hold bilateral meetings with relevant parties.

In the most recent resolution on Yemen, the Council demanded that the Houthis withdraw from all areas seized during the latest conflict, relinquish arms seized from military and security institutions, cease all actions falling exclusively within the authority of the legitimate Yemeni Government and fully implement previous Council resolutions.