Iran Press/ commentary: In this regard, Martin Griffiths, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Yemen, on Saturday called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and engagement of the parties involved in a press conference after arriving in Yemen's Marib province.
"Yemen is, in my view, at a critical juncture: we will either silence the guns and resume the political process, or we will slip back into a large-scale conflict," Martin Griffiths said during a visit to Marib province.
"Fighting needs to stop now. Military adventurism and the quest for territorial gains are futile," he told reporters, according to a transcript provided by his office.
"They will only drag Yemen to many more years of conflict," he added.
Griffiths emphasized that there was no alternative to a political compromise that would be achieved through negotiations to establish a cease-fire as soon as possible.
Despite the UN efforts to create a ceasefire in the Yemenis' devastating war, and political negotiations to reach an agreement between the parties to the conflict, in practice, the Saudi coalition has repeatedly disregarded ceasefire agreements that violated the most notable of these have been a disregard for and ceasefire violations in the western Hudaydah province.
Thousands of Yemenis have been killed and hundreds of thousands injured in the past five years as a result of attacks by the Saudis and their allies.
The problems caused by the siege of Yemen and the continuing bombing of civilian centers have led to a shortage of food and medicine, and thousands of pregnant Yemeni women have suffered or lost their lives in recent years due to malnutrition.
Given these issues, the UN emphasizes the immediate and unconditional cessation of military operations in Yemen and the start of de-escalation operations.
Although the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Yemen has announced the positive response of the warring parties, he has insisted that action has to be taken because the Yemeni people cannot be expected to tolerate more suffering.
The position of Yemen's resistance in this regard is quite clear. According to the head of the Yemeni national delegation, the UN representative should refrain from suspicious programs as the process of political negotiations entails a halt to aggression and the blockade.
At the same time, the timing of Griffiths' trip is quite meaningful in light of recent developments in Yemen. The recent victories of the Yemeni resistance, especially in al-Jawf province, have prompted the Saudis to ask their Western allies to stop the ongoing developments in favor of the Yemeni resistance.
Yemeni Ansarullah forces have taken control of the capital of Al-Jawf province, in a major and strategic operation launched in recent weeks, since the start of Saudi raid in March 2015 for the first time in a major province.
The liberation of al-Jawf province will increase the initiative of the Ansarullah movement and open new fronts against the Saudi coalition. Yemeni resistance is now seeking to liberate Marib province.
Meanwhile, the disintegration of the resigned Yemeni President Abdul Mansur Hadi's forces in al-Jawf has dealt a serious blow to the legitimacy and credibility of the Yemeni government, and many other commanders and tribes do not trust his government.
The UN Secretary General's representative in Yemen has also insisted that he entered the Marib province to meet with representatives of local authorities and tribal leaders, and his goal is to persuade the resigned government to accept Ansarullah's control of al-Jawf province and to refrain from military action against it with the guarantee that the movement will not attack in the province.
Griffiths' goal at this point seems to be to prevent the continuation of military action on both sides of the war aimed at reducing tensions and preparing for a new round of political negotiations. However, experience has shown that the Saudi coalition and Mansour Hadi's forces only work more in the direction of warmongering in Yemen. 212/ 104
Author: Seyyed Reza Mirtaher
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