The Saudi and Yemeni ambassadors said Wednesday they are optimistic that peace talks between the Yemeni government and Shiite Houthi rebels will take place in mid-November after weeks of preparations to try to prevent another failure. Saudi Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi and Yemen's Khalid Alyemany told reporters after meeting members of the Yemeni community that the talks will focus on implementing a UN Security Council resolution approved in April that requires the rebels to withdraw from all areas they have seized and lay down arms captured in months of fighting. Alyemany said the agenda for the talks, likely to be held in Geneva, should be completed by the end of this week. The UN special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who has been trying to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table, will be at UN headquarters next week for consultations, Alyemany said. Fighting in Yemen has killed more than 4,000 people, leaving the Arab world's poorest country in the grip of a humanitarian crisis and on the brink of famine. The UN says over 21 million people — 80 percent of the population — need humanitarian assistance. The conflict pits Yemen's President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi, a US ally, against the Iranian-backed Houthis — who seized the capital, Sanaa, last year — and military units loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh. A Saudi-led and US-backed coalition supporting the government began launching airstrikes against the Houthis and their allies on March 26. At UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva on June 19, the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels failed to agree on even a temporary cease-fire. Saudi envoy Al-Mouallimi said the Yemeni delegation expressed concern at the upcoming peace talks because they don't want to see the rebels "reap any fruits from their illegal takeover of state institutions." During the current preparations, he said the Houthis attempted "to throw in other conditions and other elements" that are not part of the UN resolution. But he said Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Cheikh Ahmed have made clear that new talks will focus only on implementing that resolution. "So we are optimistic — we are hopeful that the discussions will take place," Al-Mouallimi said. Yemen's Alyemany said opening peace talks to any other issues will only lead to another failure. He also said the Houthis should show support for new talks by withdrawing from some areas. "Of course, we will be very flexible in the withdrawal process," he said, saying the process will be gradual and that the Houthis will be replaced by Yemen's national army. — AP
