Talks to end the conflict in Yemen, to be held in Riyadh next week, may have representatives from across the country, including Sanaa, held by the Houthi rebels.
The Gulf Co-operation Council, or GCC, has invited members of Yemen's internationally recognised government and representatives of the Houthi rebels for discussions between March 29 and April 7 in Saudi Arabia's capital.
The aim is to drive forward the UN’s incentive to halt the eight-year civil war. The push by the GCC comes in response to the aspirations of the Yemeni people and the support of the international community in ending the war.
“The GCC has invited all components of Yemen and has not excluded anyone, this includes politicians, writers, military leaders, women, members of civil society and the youth,” an official of the council told Ashaq Al Awsat.
“The consultations will be held with who will be attending, they are for all of Yemen’s different components,” the newspaper quoted the person as saying.
The GCC has stressed that the solution to ending the war will have to be come from the Yemenis themselves.
More than 500 people have been invited to the talks next week, the GCC said. The initiative will support a comprehensive solution to peace in Yemen.
"The consultations must target everyone," the official said. "Everyone has the right to attend and we will see new faces in the consultations.”
The talks will aim to “unite ranks, heal rifts between Yemen’s different components, strengthen state institutions, and create an approach that pushes them to the consultations table".
The focus will be on six factors, including the military and security axis and the implementation of a ceasefire.
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Hollywood actress and UN special envoy Angelina Jolie, left, sits with displaced Yemeni women and listens to their stories of struggle in Al Kandam, Yemen. AP -
The actress arrived in Yemen on Sunday to meet people who have been displaced by the country's seven-year conflict. AP -
Her visit comes before the annual pledging meeting for Yemen on March 16. AFP -
Jolie is hoping her visit will help draw attention to the conflict's catastrophic consequences, said the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. AP -
Jolie inside a camp for people displaced by war in Lahej, Yemen. Reuters -
The UN special envoy shakes hands with a woman displaced by war. Reuters -
UN aid chiefs worry that donor fatigue will affect Yemen, as governments shift allocations to Ukraine, Afghanistan and other crises. Reuters -
Jolie gestures as she leaves a camp for displaced people. Reuters
The political process will also feature high in the agenda, along with the strengthening of state institutions, administrative reforms and government as well as combating corruption.
The humanitarian factor will be taken into account, as also the axis of stability and economic recovery through urgent measures to stop the collapse of the Yemeni currency.
The talks will also focus on achieving stability and recovery for basic services to continue and receive direct support from donors.
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Yemeni army reinforcements arrive to join fighters loyal to Yemen's Saudi Arabia-backed government, on the southern front of Marib. AFP -
Outside Marib, a government stronghold in northern Yemen, joint forces have made advances in the provinces of Taez. AFP -
A Yemeni pro-government fighter is pictured during fighting with Houthi rebels. AFP -
Yemeni pro-government forces. AFP -
Hundreds of Houthi fighters have been killed as fierce fighting continues for a second week near Yemen's west coast. AFP -
Coalition forces continued the progress and took control of areas in the provinces of Ibb and Taez. AFP -
Marib, a region that hosts more than two million internally displaced people, was until recently the main focal point of the war. But focus has now moved to the west, where about 200 Houthi fighters were killed in a second week of confrontations in Hays, Al Jarahi, Maqbanah and Jabal Ras. AFP -
Saudi Arabia is backing the pro-government fighters. AFP -
A Houthi fighter fires a weapon at a front line in the Al Jubah district of Yemen's Marib province. Reuters -
A Houthi fighter with an amputated right arm takes position, in a frame grab from video handed out by the Houthi media centre. Reuters -
Houthi fighters in the Al Jubah district of Yemen's Marib province, in another frame grab from video handed out by the Houthi media centre. Reuters
Yemen has been in a state of stalemate for nearly eight years since the government was ousted by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in 2014.
Previous efforts to end the conflict failed due to a lack of trust between the warring sides.
The war in Yemen began when the Houthis took over the capital Sanaa in 2014, triggering a civil war that has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
