(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Efforts to coax Yemen's warring factions into talks have made some progress, officials said yesterday, as warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition mounted more air strikes on the country's Houthi militia.
Sources in Oman confirmed that diplomats were brokering talks between US and Houthi envoys in Omani capital Muscat to find a peaceful resolution to a conflict that has killed over 2,000 people since March.
Independent politicians in Sana'a said the new diplomacy had succeeded in narrowing gaps between the Houthis and the exiled government of President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi to pave the way for UN-backed negotiations in Geneva.
"There's progress in talks towards an agreement on a long truce and reviving political dialogue," one politician said.
Oman is the only GCC member not taking part in the military campaign in Yemen, and has a record as a peacemaker in the strife-torn region.
UN Ambassador to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, has also achieved headway towards convening talks in Geneva, Yemeni government spokesman Rajeh Badi said.
He said progress was made on "the date, agenda and framework for Geneva talks and parties that attend the meeting" and that a formal announcement was expected within hours.
Ahmed was in Riyadh for talks with Yemeni President Hadi, his Vice-President Khaled Bahah, and other political figures. Before that, he held discussions with Houthi leaders in Sana'a.
Previous plans for talks in Switzerland were postponed due to objections by the Riyadh-based Yemeni government, which wants the Houthis to quit Yemen's main cities and recognise Hadi's authority before speaking to them.
The Houthis want a ceasefire as a precondition for talks and Yemeni politicians say Ahmed has made progress towards an agreement on a five-week ceasefire and the release by the Houthis of several pro-Hadi figures, including the defence minister and the president's brother.
Meanwhile, Famine Early Warning Systems, a monitoring group focusing on hunger, said food price increases and lack of income could soon push remote areas of the country into emergency.
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