Yemen Monitor / Aden / Special
The Yemeni government will participate in new negotiations on prisoners and detainees with the armed Houthi group under the auspices of the United Nations, in a reversal of its previous position of not participating.
The consultations are scheduled to begin next Sunday, June 30, in the Omani capital “Muscat” – according to a government official who spoke to “Yemen Monitor” on Thursday.
The Yemeni government had previously refused to participate in these meetings until the Houthis allowed access to prominent Yemeni politician Mohammed Qahtan, who has been kidnapped since 2015 and his fate is unknown.
The government official said that “the coalition pressured the government to get back of its decision as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are trying to reach an agreement and calm the Yemeni file”, which is escalating significantly with the exchange of economic measures indicating that the negotiations will also include discussions on economic files.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said that a breakthrough in the prisoner and detainee file is the first stage “for the UN envoy to announce the proposed roadmap to end the war in Yemen.”
