UN envoy says Yemeni parties could start talks next month

UN envoy Martin Griffiths expects to get warring parties in Yemen back to the negotiating table for the first time in years. He said in a UN radio interview late on Thursday that both sides have confirmed their willingness to talk. “I’d like to get the parties together within the next few weeks at the very latest,” he said. “I’m hoping that the [UN] Security Council will meet next week and we’ll put a plan before them as to how we’re going to bring the talks back.” In the last few days, Griffiths met President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in the southern city of Aden, the temporary headquarters of the exiled government, and Mohammed Abdul-Salam, chief negotiator of the Houthi group fighting against the government.