The new United Nations envoy for Yemen has held his first talks with senior Trump administration officials in Washington, where his appointment to the post has raised hopes of a political process to end the country's war.
Martin Griffiths held consultations at the White House and State Department officials who manage the Yemen file. Those include a meeting with Acting Secretary of State John Sullivan on Wednesday, a US official told The National.
His trip to Washington followed a briefing to the UN Security Council on Tuesday at which Mr Griffiths emphasised the need “to diminish the chance of game-changing events" such as missile launches and confrontations which could derail “the hopes of the great majority of Yemenis" for a political settlement.
However, there is an increased sense of optimism in Washington about progress on Yemen after Mr Griffiths, a former British diplomat, took over the envoy post from Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed in February. In the past few weeks he has travelled to Sanaa, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Geneva to push for political talks.
Gerald Feierstein, director for Gulf affairs at the Middle East Institute, told The National, that Mr Griffiths’ visit to Washington “was an important opportunity to share some of US government thinking and exchange insights”.
“There are some reasons for optimism that perhaps this change of leadership in the UN envoy position will be an opportunity for everyone to engage to get another round of negotiations in place after almost a two-year halt”.
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Mr Feierstein, a career US diplomat who last served in Yemen in 2013, said that Mr Griffiths was someone US officials knew well and had worked with in the past in different capacities, on missions related to Syria and humanitarian efforts.
“I have lot of respect for Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, but sometimes you need a fresh face and the US will do everything to ensure he is a success,” he said.
The optimism surrounding Mr Griffiths' mission is also rooted in the situation inside Yemen, said John Arterbury, a Yemen analyst with the Navanti group. "The potential for a cessation of hostilities is now slightly better than it has been in the years prior,” he said.
“The change in the UN envoy allows for something of a fresh slate in terms of how the parties engage one another. A lack of good faith in the peace process from both the Houthis and the former [Ali Abdullah] Saleh side previously hindered these efforts” he said.
“Now, with the Houthis under greater military pressure than before, there may be more incentive for them and their backers to come to the table.”
Stopping the fighting, however, is only the first step in a long process, Mr Arterbury said.
“In some respects, the biggest challenges facing Yemen will be reconciling the country's competing political parties and geographic areas in the years after the civil war wanes off.”
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE CARD
The line-up as it stands for the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia on April 27
50-man Royal Rumble
Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns
Casket match
The Undertaker v Rusev
Intercontinental Championship
Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
SmackDown Tag Team Championship
The Bludgeon Brothers v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship
Sheamus and Cesaro v Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy
United States Championship
Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
Singles match
Triple H v John Cena
To be confirmed
AJ Styles will defend his WWE World Heavyweight title and Cedric Alexander his Cruiserweight Championship, but matches have yet to be announced
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
MAIN CARD
Bantamweight 56.4kg
Abrorbek Madiminbekov v Mehdi El Jamari
Super heavyweight 94 kg
Adnan Mohammad v Mohammed Ajaraam
Lightweight 60kg
Zakaria Eljamari v Faridoon Alik Zai
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Mahmood Amin v Taha Marrouni
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Siyovush Gulmamadov v Nouredine Samir
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Ilyass Habibali v Haroun Baka
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
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Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
