The new US envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, intensified his meetings last weekend in the Saudi capital, in a move that reveals Washington’s efforts, which during the past period has been a part on the war, to withdraw Yemen’s file from British hands.
King, who arrived on Wednesday on his first visit to Saudi Arabia, which has been leading the war on Yemen since six years, met during the past hours with Hadi’s Foreign Minister and with Hadi and his deputy, a day after his meeting with Saudi leaders, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Deputy Minister of Defense and the Saudi ambassador to Yemen.
In the first comment on King’s visit, which is expected to visit Muscat, where the delegation of Sana’a resides, a US State Department spokesman revealed, according to what was reported by the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, the American steps in Yemen are difficult.
In reference to the Saudi position hardening towards the American vision to end the war, which is based on removing Houthis classification from the list of terrorism, stopping arms deals to Saudi Arabia while providing them with protection, according to the new Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The source hinted at the possibility of replacing the UN envoy, whose term is nearing to end, despite the new US leadership’s attempt to reassure the Britain by talking about supporting UN efforts for peace in Yemen.
Blinken’s recent moves indicate that Biden administration, which pledged to stop the war on Yemen, is heading to take over Yemen file politically, after its role was limited to military support for Saudi Arabia in its war that was declared from Washington in March of 2015, and will enter its seventh year next March.
The American moves in Yemen file raise the concerns of Britain, whose government announced its refusal to go along with Biden administration regarding in stopping arms sales to Saudi Arabia, indicating that Britain, which holds Yemen file in the Security Council and negotiated through its own citizen UN envoy, is trying to remain in the forefront of events in the region in case if Yemen file pulled from it, due to the stumbling block of its envoy’s path and the duplication of its stances in feeding war and carrying peace.
It is reported that the current UN envoy, Martin Griffiths, is receiving severe boycott by several parties, most notably Sana’a and Hadi.