UN Waiting For Yemen Warring Parties To Confirm Attendance At Crisis Talks - Source

CAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st November, 2018) Yemen's warring parties need to say whether they will come to Sweden for talks before the UN special envoy, Martin Griffiths, sets a date for the meeting, a person close to him told Sputnik.

"We will not announce a date of consultations until all parties confirm their attendance. We have no such confirmations yet," the source said.

Griffiths is in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital held by Houthis, as part of "logistic preparations" to secure a free exit and reentry for rebel delegates, the source added.

The UN has been trying to revive peace talks between Houthi rebels and the internationally-backed government in Yemen, aided by a Saudi-led Arab coalition.

A UN plan to organize talks in Geneva last September was abandoned after Houthis said they were prevented from leaving the country.

The almost four-year war has become the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with half of the Yemeni population assessed by the UN as being on the brink of starvation.

The UN envoy will also travel to the Red Sea port city of Al Hudaydah, a gateway for humanitarian supplies besieged by government forces and their allies. The source said the trip was added to the agenda after reports of escalation in the past days.