The UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, arrived in Sanaa on Wednesday, from the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to meet with Houthi leaders as part of efforts to reduce military confrontations and resume negotiations.

Griffiths and his deputy, Maeen Shoreim, arrived on board a UN plane.

The trip to Sanaa comes after a visit Griffiths made last Saturday to the city of Marib in light of the escalation of confrontations.

The UN Security Council is expected to hear briefings from Griffiths via video conference. He is likely to mention his day-long visit to Marib.

Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik has reaffirmed that his country holds onto the three references as a condition for comprehensive peace with Houthi militias.

“The path to a peace (deal) between the government and the Houthi militants is clear but faces the obstacle of Houthi intransigence,” the PM said.

The three references are represented by the Gulf initiative, its executive mechanism, outcomes of the national dialogue and relevant UN resolutions, mainly resolution 2216.

During a meeting he held on Tuesday with Dutch Ambassador to Yemen Irma Marie van Duron in Riyadh, Abdulmalik noted that a key obstacle to peace remains Iran’s ongoing financial and military support for the insurgents in defiance of UN resolutions.