Saudi team leaves Yemen, more truce talks expected
Published: 07:04 AM,Apr 14,2023 | EDITED : 11:04 AM,Apr 14,2023
A Saudi delegation has left war-torn Yemen without a finalized truce but with a commitment from Huthi rebels to hold a second round of talks, Huthi and government sources told AFP on Friday.
The team, which was led by Ambassador Mohammed al-Jaber, left the rebel-held capital Sanaa late on Thursday, four days after he arrived seeking to 'stabilize' a truce that lapsed last year.
'There is an initial agreement on a truce that should be announced later on if finalized,' a Huthi official said on condition of anonymity, in the information that was confirmed by a government source.
'There is an agreement to hold another round of talks to further discuss points of difference.'
Fighting has eased dramatically since a six-month, UN-brokered truce last year, even after it expired in October. A source at the Huthis' foreign ministry told AFP that the Saudi delegation would communicate the rebels' 'conditions' to the Riyadh leadership. Huthi political leader Mohamed Ali al-Huthi said the talks were conducted in a 'positive atmosphere', with plans for another round.
On Saturday, before the Saudi visit, a Yemeni government source said the Saudis and Huthis had agreed in principle on a six-month truce to pave the way for three months of talks on establishing a two-year 'transition'.
Key Huthi goals include paying salaries of civil servants in areas under their control and lifting operational restrictions on ports and airports they hold.
The team, which was led by Ambassador Mohammed al-Jaber, left the rebel-held capital Sanaa late on Thursday, four days after he arrived seeking to 'stabilize' a truce that lapsed last year.
'There is an initial agreement on a truce that should be announced later on if finalized,' a Huthi official said on condition of anonymity, in the information that was confirmed by a government source.
'There is an agreement to hold another round of talks to further discuss points of difference.'
Fighting has eased dramatically since a six-month, UN-brokered truce last year, even after it expired in October. A source at the Huthis' foreign ministry told AFP that the Saudi delegation would communicate the rebels' 'conditions' to the Riyadh leadership. Huthi political leader Mohamed Ali al-Huthi said the talks were conducted in a 'positive atmosphere', with plans for another round.
On Saturday, before the Saudi visit, a Yemeni government source said the Saudis and Huthis had agreed in principle on a six-month truce to pave the way for three months of talks on establishing a two-year 'transition'.
Key Huthi goals include paying salaries of civil servants in areas under their control and lifting operational restrictions on ports and airports they hold.