A UN special envoy told Yemeni sides on Tuesday that rapid implementation of a prisoner swap deal would help advance efforts at a political settlement of a nearly four-year-old war. The envoy, Martin Griffiths, said finalizing a list of the thousands of prisoners should be completed by the end of three days of talks in Amman between teams from the government and the Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels. The list is to be handed over the world body and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). "It will lay the basis for the next step which will be to see that release happening," Griffiths told delegates before the start of the second round in Amman in less than a month. "Success in this regard is not only of huge importance for those who will be released.. but also for the broader political process in which we have hopes the parties will together resolve the issues that divide them and return Yemen to peace." The Amman prisoner negotiations will verify names of about 15,000 prisoners exchanged by both sides. The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) whose agency would oversee the operation, was cautiously optimistic. Implementing the deal could take weeks and involve the repatriation. "Trust doesn't come from one day to another. It is a difficult process and we know this is work in progress," ICRC President Peter Maurer said at the start of the talks. During two days of talks in the Jordanian capital last month, they submitted lists of the detainees they each want to see freed, but a final list of names for the exchange was not announced. Each side has presented a list of up to 8,000 detainees to be freed, but many names cannot be accounted for. — Agencies
