Huthis fighters at Hodeida, Dec 29, 2018 (Photo: AFP/VNA)

The meeting was attended by General Michael Lollesgaard, head of the UN observer mission in Yemen, who is in charge of monitoring the troop withdrawal from Hodeida. The Yemeni Government and the Huthis agreed on a 2-stage pullback from Hodeida city and its port last month, but no actions have been taken. UN diplomats say the Huthis have refused to leave the ports of Saleef and Ras Issa as part of the first stage, out of fear that forces of the Saudi-led coalition will move in to take over those facilities.