Cairo, April 26, 2021, SPA -- The Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit affirmed that preserving a unified and independent Yemen that has full sovereignty over its national soil constitutes the basic starting point for any settlement of the existing military conflict in Yemen. He refused to turn Yemen into a launching site for attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He also refused that Yemen's fate depends on regional agendas that are indifferent to the interests of Yemen or the suffering of Yemenis. This came during Aboul Gheit’s meeting today with the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths, in which they discussed the latest developments in the Yemeni crisis, especially in light of the military escalation practiced by the Houthis on the city of Marib. The Arab League said in a statement that Aboul Gheit was briefed on Griffith's vision and his assessment of the current situation in Yemen, and they both agreed that the first step towards any political settlement is the achievement of an immediate ceasefire throughout the country, in a manner that allows alleviating the grave humanitarian crisis that Yemenis suffer. --SPA 14:50 LOCAL TIME 11:50 GMT 0022 www.spa.gov.sa/w1549076