A delegation of Shia Houthi rebels from Yemen is holding talks in Riyadh, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said yesterday, ahead of a planned ceasefire and renewed Yemeni peace negotiations.
“The Houthi delegation is in Saudi Arabia and the discussions are ongoing. I believe we have made good progress,” Jubeir told reporters.
Saudi Arabia is leading an Arab coalition that has been bombing the rebels for over a year, in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
“Talks with them are ongoing with the aim of finding a political solution for the Yemen crisis,” Jubeir said.
Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman was the first to reveal the presence of a Houthi delegation in Riyadh, in an interview with Bloomberg published on Friday.
“There is significant progress in negotiations, and we have good contacts with the Houthis, with a delegation currently in Riyadh. We believe that we are closer than ever to a political solution in Yemen,” the prince said.
The revelation came ahead of a UN-brokered truce slated to enter into effect on April 10, followed by talks in Kuwait on April 18.  
Previous negotiations have failed and earlier ceasefires were not respected, but analysts say the prospects of a deal have improved.
Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have recently exchanged detainees and agreed through tribal mediation to ease tension along the two countries’ border.
The Houthis seized Sanaa in September 2014 then advanced south, raising fears in Riyadh that the rebels would extend the influence of Iran in the kingdom’s southern neighbour.
The UN says about 6,300 people have been killed in the war, more than half of them civilians.