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Houthi delegation heads to Oman

November 7, 2016 at 11:25 am

A delegation from the Houthi group headed to Oman yesterday in a surprise visit which had not been previously announced, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported yesterday.

The delegation headed off during the a visit by UN envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed who is in Sana’a for talks and is due to fly to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, today. Ahmed is to hold talks with the Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in the Saudi capital.

A source close to the UN office in Sana’a told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed said Ahmed was “conducting secret talks with Houthis and representatives of [ousted Yemeni President] Ali Abdullah Saleh.”

The other source said that the “secret talks” are related to the roadmap and the notes made by the two sides regarding it.

Ahmed arrived in Sanaa on Thursday to conduct intensive talks with the Houthis and Saleh’s party to discuss the UN’s roadmap. The source did not give details about the outcomes of the talks.

Meanwhile, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported sources saying that a delegation from the Houthis headed by Mohamed Abel-Salam had left Sana’a heading to Muscat.

Since last year, Muscat has played the role of mediator between the Houthis and international parties. The UN Secretary of State John Kerry is planned to visit Muscat on 14 November and meet Sultan Qaboos Bin Said to discuss the Yemeni issue.