Cairo: The Yemeni government Sunday evening urged the Iran-allied Al Houthi militants to pull out peacefully from the Red Sea city of Hodeida and its vital harbour.
The call was made amid a major offensive supported by the Saudi-led coalition and talks by UN peace envoy Martin Griffiths in the militant-held Yemeni capital Sana’a.
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“The Yemeni government follows mediation efforts being made by the UN emissary and announces its welcome of these endeavours aimed at solving the country’s crisis,” the government said in a statement.
Sana’a and Hodeida have been under Al Houthi control since the militants’ 2014 coup against the internationally recognized government.
On Wednesday, the government forces, backed by the Arab Coalition, unleashed a massive military campaign aimed at expelling Al Houthis from Hodeida.
Griffiths, a former British diplomat, arrived in Sana’a on Saturday and met with Al Houthis to convince them to peacefully hand over the city and relaunch a peace process to end Yemen’s conflict.
The Yemeni government Sunday urged Al Houthis to respond to these efforts and to stop their intransigence by accepting “full and prompt withdrawal” from Hodeida and its harbour. The government also demanded the militants to surrender their weapons and hand maps of land and sea mines they have planted in the city to hamper its liberation.
1. I finished briefing members of the international diplomatic corps based in Abu Dhabi today on the Arab Coalition operation to liberate the Yemen port city of Hodeida from Houthi control.
— د. أنور قرقاش (@AnwarGargash) June 17, 2018
2. This operation is intentionally calibrated to help UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths in his difficult task to persuade the Houthis to unconditionally withdraw from Hodeida.
— د. أنور قرقاش (@AnwarGargash) June 17, 2018
3. We are at a turning point, because as long as the Houthis hold Hodeida, they will continue to impede the political process. We firmly believe that the liberation of Hodeida will pull the Houthis back to the negotiating table.
— د. أنور قرقاش (@AnwarGargash) June 17, 2018
4. The people of Hodeida do not want to be governed by Iranian backed religious extremists. They want to be free. The people of Hodeida and the coalition are intent on liberating the city because it will shorten the war.
— د. أنور قرقاش (@AnwarGargash) June 17, 2018
5. The Coalition has demonstrated an extraordinary amount of restraint in conducting its operations. We will continue to focus on our two main goals: to protect the flow of humanitarian aid and to protect civilians.
— د. أنور قرقاش (@AnwarGargash) June 17, 2018
