Yemeni party representatives quit talks after death threats

Representatives of the Yemeni Islah (Reform) Party and the Nasserist Unionist People's Party withdrew from the first consultation round with the Houthis.
According to a source at the Nasserist Party, the move came in protest after Mahdi Al-Mashaat, director of Abdulmalek Al-Houthi's office, allegedly threatened to physically 'eliminate' Abdullah No'man of the Unionist People's Party.
The talks are yet another bid to end the political and armed standoff in the troubled country.
Last night, UN envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar announced that political parties in Yemen, including the Houthis, have agreed to resume consultations.
Benomar, in a statement, welcomed the resumption of negotiations, which he described as a positive step, because Yemen was at a critical cross-road.
Yemen has been in political limbo since the president and prime minister resigned last month after the Houthis seized the presidential palace. Last Friday, the movement dissolved parliament and said it would set up a new interim government.