Saudi UN envoy optimistic about Yemen peace talks

UNITED NATIONS — The Saudi ambassador to the United Nations said Wednesday he was optimistic that a new round of peace talks for Yemen will get off the ground this month after many weeks of preparation.

UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has been laying the groundwork for talks between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and Houthi rebels who seized the capital Sanaa last year.

"We are optimistic. We are hopeful that the talks will take place," Saudi Ambassador Abdallah Al Mouallimi said at a meeting with leaders of the Yemeni community in the United States.

Mouallimi said Houthi rebels had sought to sidestep demands in a UN resolution that they withdraw from territory seized in their campaign, but that they had "recently backed down" and were ready to negotiate a pullback.

Saudi Arabia launched an air campaign in March to push back the Houthi offensive, but the air strikes, which have destroyed a hospital and hit two weddings, have raised alarm.

The humanitarian crisis in Yemen has been identified by the United Nations as one of the world's worst, with 80 per cent of the country's population on the brink of famine.

Yemen's Ambassador Khaled Alyemany said the agenda for the peace talks should be finalised this week and that the UN envoy will travel to New York to announce the talks next week.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed told AFP recently that he expected the new round to begin some time between November 10 and 15.

Alyemany said negotiations would focus on a gradual withdrawal from the capital Sanaa and other areas held by the Houthis.

"This is the picture that we have, and it's a positive picture," he said.

A UN bid to launch peace talks in June failed over demands for a Houthi withdrawal from seized territory, but this time, much effort has been put in ensuring there is agreement on the agenda.

The Houthis overran Sanaa in September 2014 and went on to battle for control of several regions, aided by renegade troops loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

In July, loyalist forces backed by the Saudi-led Arab coalition, evicted the rebels from five southern provinces, and have since set their sights on the capital.

Amid the dire humanitarian crisis, a rare tropical cyclone hit Yemen this week, triggering flash floods and wreaking havoc in provinces that are home to 1.1 million people.