Saudi Officials Visit Yemeni Capital for Peace Talks with Houthi Rebels

In an effort to end the nine-year war, Saudi Arabian officials were in Yemen's capital on Sunday for negotiations with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The leader of the Houthis' Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, met with the Saudi delegation, which was led by the kingdom's envoy to Yemen, Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Jaber, according to the Houthi-run Saba news agency.

According to the source, an Omani delegation that arrived in Sanaa on Saturday attended the discussions. Al-Mashat, according to the report, praised Oman's initiatives to mediate disputes between opposing warring parties and bring about peace in Yemen.

Mohammed al-Bukaiti, a representative of the Houthis, had previously announced on Twitter that Saudi and Omani officials will talk about "means to create a comprehensive and permanent peace in the area."

He encouraged all parties to take action to "preserve a calm atmosphere and prepare to turn the page of the past" and added that reaching an honourable agreement between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia would be "a success for all parties."

That was "the closest Yemen has come to actual progress towards enduring peace," according to UN ambassador Hans Grundberg, since the war started.

"This is an opportunity to grab and advance, and a genuine chance to launch an inclusive political process."

The negotiations in Sanaa are a part of global attempts to end the crisis in Yemen, which started in 2014 when the Houthis ousted the government and seized control of the capital and much of the north. These efforts are being spearheaded by Oman.

A Saudi-led coalition launched an invasion a few months later in an effort to oust the exiled government. Since then, the conflict has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, and Saudi Arabia has been charged with war crimes for attacking hospitals, schools, and residential areas.

A draught agreement was agreed between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis last month to extend a truce that ended in October.

After Saudi Arabia and Iran secured a deal to mend their seven-year diplomatic split through negotiations mediated by China, efforts have picked up steam in recent weeks.

The Houthis' primary international sponsor, Iran, said that an agreement with Saudi Arabia would help put an end to the violence there.

The exiled government's foreign minister, Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak, said that there were "good signs" that a cease-fire agreement will be declared.