Senior government officials from Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States of America met on 18 July 2022 to discuss the situation in Yemen.
UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg was warmly welcomed as a guest at the meeting, as was David Grisley, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, to discuss Safir. Quint reaffirmed his strong commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Yemen, as well as his commitment to support the people of Yemen.
Al-Humasi hailed the continuation of the truce, which has brought tangible benefits to the Yemeni people since it was concluded on April 2. They stressed the need to maintain and develop this progress, which requires compromise on all sides.
Quint fully supported the efforts of the UN Special Representative to extend and expand the truce on August 2, as well as to fully implement all the conditions of the truce. Quint agreed that a final ceasefire and a permanent political settlement should be the end goals of the UN-led process and that such a settlement should be based on previous agreements and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
They welcomed the continued implementation of the confidence-building measures agreed by the Government of Yemen, including facilitating the delivery of fuel to Al Hudaydah Port and the resumption of some commercial flights to and from Sana’a Airport.
Al-Khomassi emphasized the importance of all parties using revenues, including from the port of Hodeidah, to pay wages.
They expressed concern about the serious humanitarian consequences of the ongoing road closures around Taiz and called on the Houthis to be flexible in negotiations and open the main roads immediately. Quint underlined the need to improve the freedom of movement of civilians throughout Yemen, stressing that constructive engagement with the United Nations is essential to a sustainable solution to the issue of road reopening.
Quint reaffirmed his support for the UN Special Envoy and his multifaceted approach. They welcomed the progress that allowed economic and military issues to be discussed, including the establishment of the Military Coordinating Committee and the Joint Coordinating Chamber at the operational level, as well as the start of a dialogue on wages.
They stressed the importance of maintaining the leadership and unity of the Presidential Governing Council as an important step towards a comprehensive political settlement under the leadership and under the auspices of the United Nations led by Yemen.
They stressed the need for an inclusive political process and called on all parties to ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in the peace process in Yemen. They stressed the importance of the parties fulfilling their commitments to achieve at least 30 per cent participation of women, in line with the results of the National Dialogue Conference.
Quint reiterated his deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation, acknowledging the detrimental impact of global crises on food imports. They agreed to continue to support the United Nations Humanitarian Response Plan and work with international financial institutions to ensure that commercial funding is available.