Yemen talks outside Geneva to coincide with weeklong truce

(MENAFN- Arab News) ADEN: Yemen's government said Tuesday that the country's warring sides are preparing to observe a week-long truce from Dec. 15 while UN-mediated peace talks take place in Switzerland.
'An agreement on a cease-fire between the government and the putschists should enter into force on Dec. 15 with the start of negotiations' Foreign Minister Abdel Malak Al-Mekhlafi told AFP.
Ould Cheikh Ahmed told reporters that three delegations would take part in talks likely to be held outside Geneva and which will last 'as long as it takes.'
Talks will focus on four main areas including the terms for a permanent cease-fire and the withdrawal of armed groups from the areas under their control.
Confidence-building measures will be another area of dialogue including broadening humanitarian access in the country where aid workers have been killed and kidnapped.
Delegates will finally try to hammer out a political future for Yemen.
A source in the Cabinet said the truce would last seven days as specified in a letter sent to the UN Security Council.
The agreement reached ahead of talks calls on the rebels to 'lift the siege of towns allow the entry of humanitarian aid and free military and political detainees' the source said adding that the truce 'will be supervised by the UN and could be extended if respected by the (rebels).'
The UN envoy said Riyadh has promised to observe the cease-fire.
'By respecting the cease-fire the Houthis could signal their good intentions to move forward on implementing (UN Security Council) Resolution 2216' calling on rebels to withdraw from territory they seized the Cabinet source said.
The Saudi-led coalition kept up its strikes on rebel positions Tuesday around the strategic city of Taiz in southwestern Yemen the scene of fierce fighting in recent weeks.