Kuwait approved in principle to host inter-Yemeni talks on January 14, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdel Malak al Mekhlafi said.

In statements to the Kuwaiti newspaper Qabas out Monday, he said Yemen has discussed with Kuwait means of hosting the talks to resume Geneva negotiations.

There were three states that would host the talks Kuwait, Egypt and Jordan.

Mekhlafi said Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khalid al Hamad al Sabah has assured him during their meeting on Sunday that Kuwait will host the inter-Yemeni talks.

The two sides highlighted during the meeting the importance of adhering to the outcome of the national dialogue and the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216 which calls on the rebels to vacate all cities seized within the last year and to recognize Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi Hadi’s legitimacy to rule.

The talks tackled regional and international developments alongside means of enhancing bilateral ties in various domains.

Tensions in Yemen escalated after president Ali Abdullah Saleh was deposed in 2012 and his Houthi supporters eventually seized the capital city of Sana’a last year. Houthi forces then advanced from Sana’a towards the south, seizing large parts of Yemen, and sending the current President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into exile.

In late March, a Saudi Arabia-led coalition responded with airstrikes in order to stop Houthi advances and reinstate Hadi. By late summer, the Saudi-led forces had started a ground operation, which so far has been stuck in a stalemate.

In a move to cease hostilities, Yemen’s exiled government said it was ready to join UN-sponsored talks if the Houthi rebels yielded to the demands of the UN resolution 2216 .

The UN estimates that the violence has resulted in a dramatic increase in civilian casualties, with over 600 children killed and more than 900 seriously injured. That is five times more than in 2014. The UN believes the conflict has killed at least 2,700 people since March, when Saudi-led airstrikes began. The collateral damage from Saudi strikes has seen a drastic rise in civilian deaths.

Source: MENA