Saudi FM welcomes Grundberg appointment as UN envoy for Yemen

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan welcomed on Saturday the appointment of Swedish diplomat Hans Grundberg as the new UN envoy for Yemen.

In a tweet, the foreign minister reaffirmed the Kingdom’s continued support in efforts to reach a political solution to the Yemeni crisis.

Saudi Arabia “The Kingdom will continue to support all efforts to reach a political solution that helps bring peace and prosperity to Yemen,” Prince Faisal said in a tweet.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday named Grundberg as his new Yemen envoy after a delay of several weeks as China considered whether to approve the appointment, which needed consensus Security Council agreement.

The 15-member council approved Grundberg this week as a replacement for Martin Griffiths, who became the UN aid chief last month after trying to mediate an end to the conflict in Yemen for the past three years.