Yemen parties begin new round of talks in Jordan

Representatives of the Yemeni government and Houthi opposition group began a new round of UN-brokered talks to finalise the prisoners swap deal in the Jordanian capital, Amman, yesterday.

AFP reported that UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, and President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, attended the first day of talks.

“The meeting aims to finalise the lists of prisoners and detainees who will be released and exchanged,” Griffith said. “We will have a lot of opportunities today, tomorrow and on Thursday to finalise the lists, so that we can move to the stage of their release.”

“Success in this regard is not only of huge importance for those who will be released and return to their families but also to the broader political process in which we are engaged,” he added.

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The head of the Houthi delegation, Abdelkader Mortada, told Russia Today that his group has “a number of Saudi prisoners, including senior officers”, adding that their fate is linked to the fate of their Yemeni counterparts, both at home and abroad.

“Saudi Arabia, which is leading the Arab coalition, is the first and last body that is responsible,” he said, without elaborating.

Meanwhile, the new head of the international observer team in the western city of Hudaydah, Michael Lollesgaard, yesterday arrived in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, for the first time since taking office.

The city has been in Houthi hands since 2014.

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