The Yemeni government warned on Saturday against attempts by the Iran-backed Houthi militias to hamper any ceasefire efforts in the war-torn country. “Any ceasefire efforts will not succeed and will be thwarted by the intransigence of the Houthi militias in completely withdrawing from Hodeidah and the rest of the Yemeni provinces,” the government said. It stressed the militias have been “reluctant to abide by any ceasefire agreement during previous negotiations.” Attempts to liberate Hodeidah from the Houthis aim at sparing the city and its inhabitants from any harm and preserve the basic relief structure of the city and its strategic port, it added in a statement. It reiterated its support for the efforts of UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths, stressing that they are aimed at pushing the Houthi militias to withdraw unconditionally from Hodeidah city and its port and from Salif port, as well. The government made its remarks following statements by Griffiths that an agreement had been reached to offer the UN supervision over Hodeidah port. He also expressed a willingness to kick off steps for the implementation of the comprehensive solution soon. The government also pointed out that the full and unconditional withdrawal of the Houthi militia from Hodeidah, its harbor and the port of Salif is the basis for initiating the steps of the UN-led political process. “The liberation of Hodeidah comes as part of the governments commitment to protect Yemen and its people from the repeated attacks by the Houthi militia on the state, its people and institutions, and to enable the political solution led by the United Nations,” the statement continued. It stressed that the political solution in Yemen should be based on the three basic references represented by the Gulf Initiative and its executive mechanisms, the outcomes of the comprehensive national dialogue conference and Security Council resolutions in support of legitimacy, in particular resolution 2216. In a statement received by the Yemeni news agency, Saba, the government expressed its deep concern over the Houthis’ continued violation of UN resolutions and international laws.