Yemeni government welcomes peace talks with Houthis

ADEN: The Yemeni government has said it welcomes all steps being taken to end the country’s eight-year civil war, after a delegation of Houthi rebels arrived in Saudi Arabia for a new round of peace talks. In a brief press statement on Friday, the Yemeni Foreign Ministry declared its full support for peace efforts being led by Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Nations and other members of the international community. The Houthi delegation arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Thursday, where they are scheduled to hold peace talks with relevant parties, Xinhua news agency reported. According to the Saudi Press Agency, Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday that it aims for a “comprehensive and permanent ceasefire” and a “durable political solution” acceptable to all parties in the conflict. Oman, which borders both Yemen and Saudi Arabia, is actively engaged in talks to broker a ceasefire between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. The talks are a new effort to end the Yemeni civil war. The civil war has killed thousands of people and created a humanitarian crisis. The previous ceasefire, which was brokered by the United Nations, lasted for six months and ended in October last year. Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi group took control of several northern provinces and forced the Yemeni government out of the capital, Sanaa.