Yemen peace talks likely to be postponed

The talks had originally been set to take place in mid-January.

A Yemeni tribesman from the Popular Resistance Committees, which support Yemen's government, fires a machine gun in the area of Sirwa, west of the city of Marib, on December 14, 2015. AFP Photo

CAIRO // Yemen’s Saudi Arabia-backed government said on Saturday that peace talks due to be held on January 14 would most probably be postponed beyond that date.

“The thinking is to postpone the round of peace talks from mid-January to another date,” spokesman Rajeh Badi said.

A coalition led by Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies has been fighting Houthi rebels, which controls the capital of Yemen, since March 2015. Negotiations to end the conflict were set to resume next week, with the UN special envoy to Yemen saying they would most likely take place in Geneva.

Mr Badi said the announcement by former president Ali Abdullah Saleh that he would not take part in the talks and the lack of Houthi commitment to carrying out their promises of releasing prisoners were among the reasons behind the push for postponement.

Mr Saleh, who enjoys the loyalty of the armed forces despite having stepped down from office nearly four years ago after months of protests, had joined forces with the Iran-allied Houthis in fighting the Saudi-led alliance trying to shore up president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.

Mr Saleh said on Friday he would not negotiate with Mr Hadi’s government.

The warring sides held the latest round of peace talks in December but failed to find a political solution that would end the conflict, which has killed nearly 6,000 people.

* Reuters