Yemen Warring Parties Willing to Talk

Yemen Warring Parties Willing to Talk

CAIRO (AP) -- The U.N. envoy to Yemen says the country's warring parties have confirmed their willingness to restart negotiations even as fighting rages over the crucial port city of Hodeida.

Martin Griffiths told the U.N. radio late on Thursday that he plans to bring Yemen's Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, and the country's internationally recognized government backed by a Saudi-led coalition to the negotiating table within the next few weeks "at the very latest."

Griffiths has been talking to both sides to prevent an all-out bloodbath in Hodeida, which is a lifeline for Yemen's population.

He also said the Houthis have offered to have the United Nations manage Hodeida's port, pending "an overall cease-fire" in the rebel-held city accepted by both sides.

Yemen's war has raged unabated since March 2015.

(KA)

P[L1] D[0x0] M[300x250] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
P[] D[728x170] M[320x75] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
P[L2] D[728x90] M[320x50] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
P[R1] D[300x250] M[300x250] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
P[R2] D[300x250] M[320x50] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
DIM[1x3] LBL[article-box] SEL[] IDX[] TMPL[standalone] T[]
P[R3] D[300x250] M[0x0] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]