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UN Yemen envoy visits Saudi Arabia to revive peace talks

Xinhua, May 8, 2015 Adjust font size:

The UN special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, was in Riyadh on Thursday on his first visit to the region since he took office less than two weeks ago, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here.

"He met the crown prince and minister of interior, Mohammed Bin Nayef, as well as the deputy crown prince and minister of defense, Mohammed Bin Salman," Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here. "He also met with the G14 group of ambassadors at a lunch hosted by the Gulf Cooperation Council Secretariat."

It is the Mauritanian diplomat's first trip to the region since he took up the post as peace envoy for Yemen less than two weeks ago. He replaced Jamal Benomar, who resigned after losing support from Gulf states when Yemen's Shiite Houthi rebels pushed ahead with an offensive.

Talks for peace in Yemen unraveled after the Houthis took the capital and forced President Abd-Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia, along with eight other Arab states, have been bombing the Houthi group and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullash Saleh since March 26, aiming to restore the rule by the exiled Hadi.

The coalition forces announced a halt to the air raids on April 21, saying they have "eliminated threats of the Shiite group to the regional countries and would turn to focus on political solutions. However, the Saudi-led forces have continued air strikes.

Figures from March 26 up to May 3 from the field show that at least 646 civilians have been killed, including 50 women and 131 children, and more than 1,364 civilians have been injured, according to the UN human rights office. Endite