KUWAIT CITY, (APP): Yemen Peace Talks inch towards peace agreement: UN
The UN envoy said Wednesday that Yemen's warring parties were closer to agreement at peace talks in Kuwait as he prepared to brief the Security Council on progress in negotiations.
"We are moving towards a general understanding that encompasses the expectations and visions of the parties," Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement.
"The discussions have become more sensitive and delicate bringing us closer to a comprehensive agreement," he said.
Ould Cheikh Ahmed is to brief the UN Security Council in a closed session later on Wednesday on the progress made in the peace talks which began on April 21 but have been clouded by repeated walkouts by the government delegation.
He clarified on Twitter that he will make the briefing by video conference from Kuwait.
Face-to-face meetings resumed on Monday for the first time in nearly a week after the latest government boycott.
Ould Cheikh Ahmed said discussions on Tuesday centred on "various military and security issues including withdrawals and troop movements".
"We are now working on overcoming various obstacles and addressing specific details of an implementation mechanism," he said.
The apparent progress comes after Foreign Minister Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi said on Monday that the government stood ready to make concessions for the sake of peace.
A Western diplomat familiar with the talks said they had made important progress.
"We are in a stage where the parties have to make hard choices and compromises," the diplomat told AFP, adding that he was "very optimistic" that a deal could be reached.