UN Middle East Envoy discussing conflict settlement in the Gulf

United Nations, New York

Sphinx News: Ahmed Ali

Following his recent visit to Iran, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ Personal Envoy for the Middle East Conflict, Jean Arnault, has now visited two monarchies in the Gulf, coordinated efforts aimed at stabilizing the region’s international affairs.

Visiting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia yesterday, Arnault met with senior officials in search of common consensus, while also maintaining the United Nations’ fundamental interests: a comprehensive diplomatic framework for sustainable peace, the complete cessation of all hostilities, and respect for international law.

In a statement released yesterday before his official meeting in Riyadh, Arnault recalled his concerted attempts to understand the positions on “conflict in the country and the region.”

Expressing hopes to draw on the kingdom’s “rich diplomatic experience” in the search for regional security, it said that Arnault “also hopes to discuss ways the United Nations can support regional efforts” for peaceful integration.

Today, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Farhan Haq told the press, “Jean Arnault is now visiting the Sultanate of Oman, meeting with senior Omani officials to listen to their unique perspective on the conflict and discuss the potential contribution of the United Nations to its settlement.”

Concerning the granularity of the discussions at hand, Haq told reporters, “this is his first visit to some of the partners in the region. At this stage, what he’s doing is sounding out their various views and seeing what points of agreement there are, and where we can play a role. Once he’s done that, he’ll be better positioned to talk about what sort of accomplishments he’s making. But right now, he’s going to hear from all the different participants, both in the conflict and the mediation efforts.”