Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed in London for Yemen partner talks

Saudi Arabia’s Adel Al Jubeir also in the UK as quad of nations meets

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, meets British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in London. Wam

The UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, is holding high-level talks in the UK on Friday as part of an effort to find a way to end the civil war in Yemen.

The UK Foreign Office said the meeting had been set up to discuss the next steps of the UN-led peace process and how to support special envoy Martin Griffiths as he seeks to deliver the commitments made in last year's Sweden agreement.

Sheikh Abdullah arrived from France, where he held talks with Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. Saudi Arabia’s Minister for of State for Foreign Affairs, Adel Al Jubeir, will also attend.

“I called this meeting so that we keep doing everything we can to move forward on the hard road to peace in Yemen," British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said.

"This is a horrendous conflict and it is taking too long to turn the ceasefire agreed to in Stockholm into a durable path to peace."

He repeated that the UK was “resolute” in its belief that there was no military solution to the conflict.

“While it is hugely welcome that both sides recently agreed to the UN’s plan for the first phase of troop redeployments in Hodeidah, this took two months after the initial agreement was reached in Stockholm – far longer than we had all hoped,” Mr Hunt said.

The US will be represented at the talks by veteran diplomat David Satterfield.

The Yemeni government says the Houthi rebels have breached the ceasefire in Hodeidah hundreds of times.

On a bilateral level Sheikh Abdullah and Mr Hunt, reviewed here the prospects for further advancing the close relations between the two countries.

They also discussed an array of regional and international developments of common interest, with particular emphasis on the situation in both Yemen and Libya.

During their meeting, Sheikh Abdullah underlined the longstanding relations between the UAE and UK, with the British minister sharing identical views on the importance of growing bilateral relations across various fields.

Hunt hailed the UAE global contribution and the leadership provided by the country's participation in key international issues.

On Monday, Human Rights Watch said the Houthis' “widespread use” of landmines along Yemen’s western coast has killed and injured hundreds of civilians and “prevented aid groups from reaching vulnerable communities”.

Mr Hunt co-hosted a similar meeting in Warsaw, Poland in February where much of the focus was on putting into practice the Stockholm agreement.

He visited Yemen last month.