UN Envoy to Yemen concludes visit to Washington

UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg concluded a visit to Washington on Friday, during which he met with senior US officials to discuss developments in Yemen and explore ways to support a comprehensive political process to resolve the conflict, according to what his office published today.

The statement said that Grundberg met with Acting Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, John Bass, the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, Michele Sison, the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf, National Security Council Coordinator for Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk, and the US Special Envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking.

"In his meetings, Grundberg outlined the challenges that continue to impede mediation in Yemen, including regional developments and a worrying trajectory of escalation in Yemen since the beginning of the year," the statement added.

The UN Envoy stressed the need to prioritize the agenda of peace, dialogue, and de-escalation in Yemen, and emphasized the importance of concerted regional and international support in realizing this objective.

On July 23, in a briefing to the UN Security Council, Grundberg had expressed his concern about the escalation in the Red Sea due to the Houthi attacks on navigation, the mutual escalation between Israel and the Houthis, and its negative impact on the mediation process he is leading to end the Yemeni conflict.

Grundberg referred to the recent agreement between the Yemeni government and the Houthis to start an economic dialogue and cancel decisions related to banks. He said: “The aim remains a unified currency, a unified and independent central bank, and a banking sector free of political interference".

The UN Special Envoy’s visit to the US comes days after he asked the Internationally Recognized Government in Yemen to postpone the implementation of economic decisions by the Aden Central Bank, including the suspension of the licenses of six commercial banks violating the directive to move their offices from Houthi-controlled Sanaa to Aden, in South Yemen. 

According to information obtained previously by ’South24 Center’, the UN Envoy Grundberg and Saudi Arabia pressured the recognized government to reverse the Central Bank of Aden’s decisions. This came after the Houthi threats on July 7 to strike Saudi airports, banks, and harbors. Many Yemeni observers criticized a letter sent by the UN Envoy to the PLC in which he called for postponing the Central Bank of Aden’s economic measures in order to avoid a possible military escalation according to him. 

The observers considered this as being an intervention in favor of the Houthis, and felt that a firmer stance needed to have been taken when the Iran-backed militia hit oil ports in South Yemen or when the Houthis created currency divisions, looting the banks’ assets as well as the salaries of employees. 

The recognized government responded to the Saudi and UN pressure and froze the Central Bank of Aden’s decisions till the end of August 2024. 

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has welcomed the agreement between the legitimate Yemeni government and Iran-backed Houthis to de-escalate the situation with regard to the Yemeni banking sector and Yemenia Airline.

The agreement was announced by the UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg on Tuesday (July 23).

His visit to the US also comes a few days after Israel launched air strikes on the Houthi-held port of Hodeidah on July 20, destroying much of its stored oil, its equipment and also an electricity station there, causing a major economic loss to the Houthis.