Dubai: Qatar has strongly condemned the Al Houthi militia attack on the convoy of the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Esmail Ould Shaikh Ahmad, after leaving Sana’a Airport on Monday afternoon.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry described the attack as “a heinous and desperate attempt to impede UN efforts to find a political solution to the Yemeni crisis”, Qatari News Agency said.
The statement, which was also carried on WAM, reiterated Qatar’s support for the efforts of the UN envoy with the Yemeni parties in order to reach a political solution in accordance with the Gulf initiative, the outputs of the national dialogue, and the relevant UN resolutions.
Yemen’s Foreign Ministry has described the Al Houthi attack on the UN envoy’s convoy on Monday as an “assassination attempt” of the diplomat, Al Arabiya news channel reported.
Al Houthi militants fired shots at the UN envoy’s convoy in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a, sources told Al Arabiya. There were no reports of casualties.
Earlier on Monday, Shaikh Ahmad left for Sana’a to meet with Al Houthi militants and discuss the possibility of a ceasefire before the holy month of Ramadan begins and the possibility of resuming consultations next month between the warring parties in Kuwait or Geneva.
Meanwhile, Al Houthis launched new campaigns criticising the UN envoy. Al Houthi leader Saleh Al Sammad, the chief of the rebels’ political council, slammed the envoy and said he was “not neutral”.
“He does not have any new ideas and the only solutions he has are dictated by the coalition countries,” Al Sammad added.
Al Sammad also said that the UN envoy had expressed the wish to visit Sana’a, adding that the rebels’ government is now looking into this request.
He added that Shaikh Ahmad carries a message from the coalition about handing over the Hudaydah port under “fake pretexts”.
