U.N. plane leaves Sanaa without Houthi delegate

A United Nations plane left Yemen’s capital city of Sanaa on Saturday without delegates that would have represented the Houthis and deposed leader Ali Abdullah Saleh at the upcoming talks in Geneva, sources told Al Arabiya News Channel

Despite neighboring Oman – and GCC member – pressing members of the Iran-backed militia to attend the U.N.-sponsored peace talks, the Houthi delegations failed to board the plane.

A rift took place between the Houthis and Saleh over the agenda at the peace talks, sources told Al Arabiya.

Meanwhile, Al Arabiya reported that representatives from Yemeni authorities and political factions arrived in Geneva ahead of the talks, scheduled for Monday.

U.N. special envoy to Yemen will hold separate “proximity” peace talks with both sides in Geneva on Sunday with the hope of bringing the warring parties to the same table eventually, Reuters news agency reported on Friday.

Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has convened the talks, expected to last three days, to try to end more than two months of war between Houthi militias and armed groups loyal to President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi, who has fled to Saudi Arabia.

“The talks will start as proximity talks, which means the envoy will be shuttling between the two groups in the hope that he can bring them together during these consultations,” U.N. spokesman Ahmad Fawzi told a news briefing in Geneva.

[With Reuters]