United Nations special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths arrived in the capital Sanaa on Sunday to continue his efforts to persuade the Iran-backed Houthi militias to attend the next round of consultations on Geneva. The militias did not attend the last round of consultations, held on September 6, dooming them to fail. Official militia sources said that the envoy still believes that a settlement can still be built and trust-building between the warring parties in the country can be reached. Griffiths’ arrival was accompanied by the Houthis declaring general mobilization throughout Sanaa, in what was interpreted as a sign that they were unwilling to reach a solution to the conflict that would end their coup against legitimate forces. Informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the militia leader had personally ordered the mobilization in his attempt to raise the Houthis’ collapsed moral in wake of their battlefield losses in the West coast and Saada province. The mobilization was accompanied by various cultural seminars at schools, places of worship and public spaces. They targeted former and retired military personnel. Other events included meetings with elders, scholars and members of local councils. Meanwhile, Houthi minister Hisham Sharaf asked Griffiths to pressure the legitimate government and Saudi-led Arab coalition to pay the salaries of employees working in militia-held areas. He also asked him to open Sanaa airport to commercial and international flights, revealed militia sources. These measures are aimed at building trust ahead of the next round of Geneva talks, they explained. Griffiths is expected to hold talks during his visit with so-called Houthi ruling council chief Mahdi Mshat and head of its coup government Abdulaziz bin Habtoor. Observers have not ruled out the possibility that he could meet with militia leader Abdulmalek al-Houthi. Prior to his arrival in Yemen, the UN envoy was in Muscat where he met with Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam to discuss the reasons why the militias had failed to attend the Geneva consultations.