Yemen talks not launched, await arrival of delegates

Negotiations scheduled for Thursday between Yemen’s warring sides have not yet begun, awaiting the arrival of delegations representing Yemen’s Houthis and ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh, sources say.

The representatives of the Houthis and Saleh’s General People’s Congress party, the main groups fighting Saudi and Saudi-backed forces in Yemen, are expected to arrive in Kuwait by the end of Thursday, said one diplomat close to the talks.

“As a result,” another diplomat said, “the talks could be delayed further until Friday.”

The talks had been initially scheduled for Monday, but the Houthi delegation did not participate, citing violations of a truce in the country by Saudi Arabia. The negotiations were later postponed until Thursday.

The Houthis agreed to join the UN-mediated talks after receiving assurances from the world body that the ceasefire would be respected.