Saudi FM welcomes appointment of new UN special envoy for Yemen

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has welcomed the appointment of Hans Grundberg as UN Special Envoy for Yemen.

Taking to Twitter on Saturday, the minister said: “I welcome the appointment of Hans Grundberg as UN Special Envoy for Yemen. We wish him success in his new role and look forward to working with him.

“The Kingdom will continue to support all efforts to reach a political solution that helps bring peace and prosperity to Yemen.”

Grundberg succeeds Martin Griffiths, who has been appointed as UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, reports Xinhua news agency. In March, the Saudi Arabia-led coalition completed its sixth year of war in Yemen against the Houthi militia in support of the Yemeni government.

 On March 22, Saudi Arabia announced an initiative to end the Yemeni crisis.

The initiative includes a comprehensive cease-fire across Yemen under the supervision of the UN. It was part of a series of initiatives that the militia had rejected over the years.