Moscow Hopes UN Envoy for Yemen to Take More Efforts to Launch Inter-Yemeni Dialogue

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd November, 2018) Russia hopes that UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths will make additional efforts to launch the process of political settlement in the conflict-torn country, Russia's envoy to the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG), Gennady Gatilov, told Sputnik in an interview.

According to Gatilov, the main objectives in Yemen today are ceasing the hostilities and a rapid start of dialogue between the warring sides "without any preliminary conditions."

"We very much hope that these efforts will continue and the special envoy of the UN secretary-general for Yemen, Mr. Griffiths, will make additional efforts in order to start the process of Yemeni political settlement," Gatilov said.

Gatilov reiterated Moscow's position that there can be no military solution of the Yemeni conflict.

"In this context, we are closely following the work of the UN special envoy for Yemen, Mr. Griffiths, and support his efforts to find a negotiated solution with a prospect of reaching a comprehensive settlement," the diplomat noted.

Griffiths on Wednesday called on all sides to the conflict in the war-torn country to seize the opportunity to restart peace talks, saying he hopes to resume the negotiations within one month.

The UN-mediated talks were expected to be held in early September in Geneva, but the representatives of the Houthi movement eventually refused to come, claiming that the Saudi-led coalition, which controls Yemeni air space, did not allow them to leave and return peacefully. The coalition said that Houthis were given the green light to leave on time, but did not use the opportunity.

Yemen has been gripped by the civil war with the government headed by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi fighting the Houthi movement. The government is backed by the Saudi-led coalition that has been carrying out airstrikes that target the areas controlled by the Houthis since March 2015.