Warring Yemeni parties start talks in Amman

Discussion of the country's economy and bank management are expected

Yemen's warring parties started talks on Tuesday in Jordanian capital of Amman to discuss the issue of Hodeidah ports under the Stockholm Agreement, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Hanan al-Badawi, spokeswoman for UN envoy to Yemen, told Xinhua that the results of the talks will be evident once they are finished.

A well-informed Yemeni source told Xinhua that the discussions covered the administrations of Hodeidah ports and using their revenues to pay for the salaries of the civil servants.

The source added that the discussions might take a long time as the Houthis have strict viewpoints.

Some progress is expected after the talks and some announcements will be made in this regard, the source said.

The United Nations said it would report on Tuesday on whether rebel forces in Yemen carried out a key first step in the redeployment of forces from three key ports, and is moving ahead to discuss the issues of management and use of revenues from the ports, The Associated Press reported.

Delegates representing Yemen's two warring factions were expected to engage in direct talks to discuss the country's collapsing economy and managing the separated branches of Yemen's Central Bank, said the official, who asked to remain anonymous.

"They will discuss a number of economic issues including the management of the central bank with the presence of senior officials from its two branches in Aden and Sanaa," the source said.

"Revenues of Hodeidah's key ports will also be discussed during the talks, particularly after the Houthis' withdrawal from the city's strategic locations," he added.

Earlier in the day, Mohammed Ali Al Houthi, head of the group's Supreme Revolutionary Committee, confirmed in a brief statement posted on his Twitter account that "the UN and its special envoy are sponsoring talks in Amman".

The Houthi leader said that the UN-sponsored talks focus on "discussing the issue of salaries and ways to neutralize the economic situation".

The Houthi group also announced on Monday that the first phase of redeployment in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah was completed under supervision of the United Nations, Xinhua reported.

The Houthi-affiliated Masirah television network confirmed that the rebels' forces quit the city's key ports with the presence of the UN supervising teams.

"The redeployment took place without any hindrances as the Sanaa representatives (Houthi officials) provided us with all necessary facilities," the Houthi TV channel cited a UN official at the Salif port as saying.

Delivering salaries is a legitimate right for all employees and officials working in the country's civil or military administrations, according to the Houthi leader's statement.

The UN-sponsored talks came just two days after the unilateral Houthi withdrawal from the key ports of the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

However, Yemen's internationally-recognized government slammed the Houthis' Saturday withdrawal from Hodeidah's three key ports under a UN-brokered peace deal and described it as "an inaccurate and misleading offer".

The Stockholm Agreement, the first step toward a comprehensive political solution, was reached in December 2018 and focused on the port city of Hodeidah, the lifeline for Yemen's most commercial imports and humanitarian aid.

Both Yemeni parties have largely obeyed the cease-fire deal, but failed to withdraw forces from the city.

Agencies and Xinhua