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On Yemen, ICP Asks UN About Houthi Letter Criticizing UN Envoy By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive series UNITED NATIONS, October 29 -- The UN Secretariat's bungling of Yemen mediation has become ever more clear, according to multiple sources and documents exclusively seen by Inner City Press, see below. On October 29, Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric of what appears to be more dissembling from UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed. Video here; transcript here: I've seen a copy of a letter that was sent, you could say, by the Houthis or signed by Mohammed Abdul-Salam to the envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, taking much issue to what he said to the Security Council, but obviously people always take issue, but they've asked specifically, "We hereby demand an official clarification from you with respect to the position," asking him to clarify about the consultations in Muscat and the seven-point plan or basically describing the talks as useless chatter. So I wanted… he's the envoy of the Secretary-General. Is the Secretary-General aware of this letter and aware of this critique, and what's the response? Spokesman: Well, I personally haven't seen the letter. As we've often said, in the run-ups and during negotiations on difficult political issues, there will be different sides that complain, are not happy. I think the statement by the Special Envoy speaks for itself. I think there's no… he stands by it. He's continuing his work. He's continuing his travels in the region to try to set a time and a place for these discussions. Question: But if he said, as he did, that the Houthi side had agreed in its entirety to the resolution, not with the… basically the sort of reservations they made in these Muscat points, if the Houthis are saying they never agreed to that, doesn't it… somebody… either the talks aren't happening or he misspoke or he didn't mis… Spokesman: I think the communications between the Special Envoy and the Houthi and other parties will also take place in private, and I'm sure if they have issues, they will raise them privately, as well. Question: And just one other thing. Has he said anything about this air strike on the MSF hospital in Yemen? I mean, it seems like he's the envoy. Spokesman: Well, I think a statement by the Secretary-General obviously covers his Special Envoy. But does it? As we reported on October 26, Inner City Press' sources exclusively tell it of a new low, that the UN brought into Sana'a what the Houthis call two members of US intelligence, with the cover identification that they work for the company running the former hotel now occupied by the UN. But, the sources say, security in Sana'a recognized the two and they are now detained. We'll have more on this. Meanwhile the Houthis are denouncing UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmad and his (mis) representation to the Security Council regarding what they agreed to. This has happened before and the goal seems to be delay to allow for more air strikes. There's word of mercenaries, in essence, including from Colombia in Aden, joining the troops from ICC-indicted Sudan. Inner City Press asked Yemen's Ambassador to the UN on October 29 about the Sudanese troops; he said "we" invited them, and did not answer on the ICC indictment. We will ask again. A new level of dysfunction was hit with the deployment in Aden of hundreds of troops from Sudan, putting ICC-indicted Omar al-Bashir on the same side as the US and UK. (Inner City Press is exclusively informed that "UN" envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed is working on a similar Saudi deal with his native Mauritania -- the envoy refused to answer this Press question while he was at UN Headquarters, instead twice taking questions from the same media.)