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Iranian official leaves for Saudi Arabia for Yemen talks

Xinhua, June 15, 2015 Adjust font size:

A senior Iranian foreign ministry official departed for Saudi Arabia on Monday to attend a meeting on Yemen, official IRNA news agency reported.

Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian will attend a day-long ministerial meeting, in the Saudi city of Jeddah, of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation on Yemen.

The meeting in Jeddah coincides with consultations in Geneva, also scheduled to start on Monday, among major Yemeni parties aimed at curbing violence and increasing access to humanitarian aid in Yemen.

The United Nations-led consultation has the potential to put a broad-based political settlement back at the center of international efforts to reach a sustainable solution to the current crisis in Yemen following a conference held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from May 17 to 19.

Saudi Arabia has long accused Iran of arming and financing Houthi fighters, an accusation strongly rejected by Tehran.

A Saudi-led coalition has waged an air war on Houthi rebels since late March in an effort to restore the authority of exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is now based in Riyadh.

The airstrikes and fighting between warring parties in Yemen have left more than 1,600 people killed and about 5,000 thousands wounded, while more than 1 million people were displaced, according to the Health Ministry. Endit