Yemen rebels and government to hold peace talks

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Peace talks between Yemen's government and rivals aimed at ending four years of devastating war will open on Thursday in Sweden, the UN announced.

The meeting marks the first since 2016 between Yemen's Saudi-backed government and Huthi rebels. Analysts and UN sources have set a low bar for the talks, which they say aim for "confidence-building" between the two parties at war since 2015. No end date has been announced.

Sources close to the rebels say the Huthis are expected to request the reopening of Sanaa International Airport, which has been damaged by Saudi-led air raids and shut down by Riyadh and its allies, who control Yemen's airspace.

A source in the government delegation said Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi's camp is seeking maps detailing landmines planted by the rebels.

Sources on both sides said they would demand a ceasefire, initiated by their rival, and the opening of humanitarian corridors.

Yemeni Houthi delegation members prepare for departure to attend the UN-sponsored peace talks in Sweden, December 4, 2018. /VCG Photo

UN envoy Martin Griffiths flew to Sanaa in the days leading up to the Sweden summit after his plans to host talks in Geneva in September failed when the rebels refused to leave Sanaa, saying they feared they would not be allowed to return.

The government and Huthis on Tuesday agreed to a prisoner swap, to be overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross, after the Sweden talks. Among the thousands expected to be released is President Hadi's brother Nasser, a general and former senior intelligence official.

Saudi Arabia and its allies also allowed the Huthis to evacuate 50 wounded rebels from Sanaa for medical treatment in Oman, a condition the rebels had set prior to the foiled Geneva talks.

Yemeni Information Minister Moammer al-Eryani confirmed their arrival via Twitter, saying the government team "carried with them the hopes of the Yemeni people for an end to the coup and the return of the state".

Martin Griffiths (C), the UN special envoy for Yemen, arrives at Sanaa international airport, Yemen, November 21, 2018. /VCG Photo

The head of the Houthi delegation, Mohammed Abdelsalam, said the Huthis would "spare no effort to make a success of the talks to restore peace and end the aggression", but called on rebel fighters to remain "vigilant against any attempt at a military escalation on the ground".

On Wednesday, six members of the Houthi delegation could be seen in the grounds of the venue for the talks, the Johannesbergs Castle, a large estate 60 kilometers north of Stockholm, which is now cordoned off by police.

Source(s): AFP