UAE Minister of State for International Co-operation Reem Al Hashimy held talks in Washington with UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths on Wednesday, as efforts intensified to find a political solution for the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, which she said could provide “an opening” for a larger settlement to the Yemen war.
Ms Al Hashimy started her visit to the US capital by meeting Mr Griffiths before heading to Congress to brief members on the Arab Coalition's humanitarian efforts to help restore the internationally recognised government and push for a political solution in Yemen.
Improving the humanitarian situation, easing the handover of Hodeidah to the government forces in Yemen, and implementing UN resolution 2216 are the focus of the talks.
Mr Griffiths has engaged in months of shuttle diplomacy between Sanaa, Muscat, Amman, New York and now Washington in an effort to spare the city of Hodeidah a military battle between the government forces backed by the Arab Coalition and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Speaking at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, Ms Al Hashimy said her visit was to "primarily speak to relevant stakeholders about current humanitarian situation in Yemen, and what the UAE is doing to improve it".
“The continuous haemorrhage is appalling” she said.
Referring to her meeting with Mr Griffiths, the senior minister said: "We are very keen on the special envoy role to put forward a peace plan for Yemen."
“We feel he is onto something that may help us to develop a framework that would help Yemen as a whole.”
Ms Al Hashimy criticised continued Houthi violations of international law, the planting of landmines, and putting civilians' lives at risk.
Asked by The National about Mr Griffiths' efforts, Ms Al Hashimy said that the Arab Coalition is asking "for complete unconditional withdrawal for the Houthis from the Hodeidah port and the city."
If such an outcome is achieved, it could provide “an opening” for a larger settlement to the Yemen war.
Ms Al Hashimy said: “We want a stable Yemen that is not a proxy to others...that would create a Hezbollah” or “endanger international maritime security”.
The minister did not specify a deadline for the peace talks, but said that the UN envoy is "the first to say that time is not on our side."
The ultimate goal after three years of war in Yemen and many failed attempts at restoring peace is reaching a "creative framework, a setup, something that doesn't allow us to fail."
Ms Al Hashimy also reiterated UAE’s position that it is not engaged in talks with Iran (which backs the Houthis) on this matter.
Last month, an Arab Coalition official revealed that the negotiations are around a four-point plan and that the coalition will only accept the full proposal.
The four points according to the official are: UN supervision over Hodeidah port; Yemeni forces helping to secure the port; allowing free access of aid to the port; and revenues from the port being kept in Hodeidah’s branch of the Central Bank and not transferred to the capital Sanaa, which remains under Houthi control
Nicholas Heras, a defence fellow at the Centre for New American Security – a bipartisan, non-profit think tank that develops defence policies – told The National that the Hodeidah battle which started on June 13 "has become the entire Yemen war in miniature".
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Read more
UAE forces in Yemen foil Houthi missile attack on Mokha
Arab coalition strongly backs UN efforts for political solution in Yemen
Hodeidah governor: UN must work faster to help break Houthis ‘siege’ on port city
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“The Houthis seem pretty dug into their demands and resistance,” he said. This “makes achieving a deal, even one brokered by the UN, a challenge”.
Failure of the UN brokered political talks, however, will mean that the coalition will have to decide whether to maintain the stalemate or wage a battle for Hodiedah’s populated city centre, Mr Heras argued.
Her meeting with Mr Griffiths comes after a Houthi rebel chief said they would refused to withdraw completely from Hodeidah.
Abdel Malek Al Houthi said he was not against the UN having "a role of supervision" in Hodeidah if the pro-government forces – backed by an Arab coalition – stop their offensive, French newspaper Le Figaro reported.
"We told the UN envoy, Martin Griffiths, that we are not rejecting the role of supervision and logistics that the UN wants to hold in the port, but on the condition that the aggression against Hodeidah stops," Mr Al Houthi said in an interview published online on Tuesday.
Ms Al Hashimy's visit to Washington followed talks she held at the United Nations in New York earlier this week. According to the UAE’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, she met with Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA); and Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef). She also met members of the UN Security Council.
In a statement the mission highlighted the UAE’s humanitarian assistance to Yemen, close to $4 billion over the past three years. In March, the UAE contributed $465 million in unrestricted funds to the UN for the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan.
Ms Al Hashimy also touched upon the progress in the peace process between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which the UAE helped to advance. She told The National that the first commercial flight in 20 years taking off from Addis Ababa to Asmara is a sign of "major progress", but that the next steps and scale of relations will be determined by the two countries.
Speaking alongside Ms Al Hashimy at the panel was the UAE’s Ambassador to the United States, Yousef Al Otaiba, who addressed the Qatar crisis.
He said: “The goal is not to undermine the Gulf Cooperation Council... and there has been no impact on multilateral work” of the council. He challenged anyone to point to something the GCC can do on Iran and that has not been done because of the one year old crisis.
“Life goes on” Mr Otaiba said, adding that his interactions with the US government as of late have not addressed the Qatar crisis.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Company%20profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Results
2.15pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner: Maqam, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner: Mamia Al Reef, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
3.15pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m
Winner: Jaahiz, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
3.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m
Winner: Qanoon, Szczepan Mazur, Irfan Ellahi.
4.15pm: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Cup Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 1,700m.
Winner: Philosopher, Tadhg O’Shea, Salem bin Ghadayer.
54.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m
Winner: Jap Al Yassoob, Fernando Jara, Irfan Ellahi.
JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
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- How do we shape the future?
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULTS
6.30pm: Emirates Holidays Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Lady Snazz, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
7.05pm: Arabian Adventures Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm: Emirates Skywards Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Rich And Famous, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: Emirates Airline Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Rio Angie, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Emirates Sky Cargo (TB) Dh 92,500 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Kinver Edge, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
9.15pm: Emirates.com (TB) Dh 95,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Firnas, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
Specs%3A%202024%20McLaren%20Artura%20Spider
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