UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg on Tuesday met with Chief Negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam of Ansar Allah (the Houthi military group) in Muscat, the capital of Oman, a UN spokesperson said.

One of the main topics was the fate of 73 UN personnel who continue to be arbitrarily detained by the Houthis in Yemen, some since 2021, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, told a daily briefing.

He said Grundberg called for the detained personnel's immediate and unconditional release, stressing the need to respect the safety of all UN staff, whether they be national or international staff.

"We continue to demand the immediate and unconditional release of all other personnel from international and local non-governmental organizations, civil society and whose who had served with diplomatic missions," Dujarric said.

The spokesperson noted that the special envoy also discussed with the Houthi representative pathways to advance political dialogue, and reaffirmed the UN's continued engagement with all parties to support a return to an inclusive political process.

During his visit, Grundberg also met with senior Omani officials to discuss recent developments in Yemen and the broader regional context, he said. ■