UN special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths spent a second day in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Sunday to discuss a deal over the port city of Hodeidah. He is believed to be meeting with the Iran-backed Houthi militias that control the capital. His talks are focusing on persuading the Houthis to cede control of Hodeidah to a UN-supervised committee and halt the fighting against the legitimacy forces that are supported by the Saudi-backed Arab coalition. The envoy did not make any statement on his arrival at Sanaa international airport on Saturday. UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash on Twitter backed "the envoys efforts to facilitate the safe handover of Hodeidah to the legitimate Yemeni Government". "The people of Hodeidah urgently want to be liberated. The coalition will continue with its military and humanitarian preparations to achieve this urgent result," he wrote. More than 70 percent of Yemeni imports pass through Hodeidahs docks. Yemens government and its allies launched operation Golden Victory on Wednesday to liberate Hodeidah from the Houthis. The port city has been under their control since 2014. On Saturday, the legitimate forces captured Hodeidah airport, dealing a blow to the militias. Sadek Dawad, spokesman of the Republican Guards force loyal to the Arab coalition, said government forces had battled their way onto the airports grounds. Dawad also said the southern gate of Hodeidah city was captured by pro-coalition forces. "The military operations to liberate the city of Hodeidah will not be stopped until we secure the city and its strategic port and that wont last too long," he told The Associated Press.