The peace consultations on Yemen kicked off in Sweden in Thursday with the attendance of the legitimate government delegation and another from the Iran-backed Houthi militias.
United Nations envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths and Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström chaired the inaugural discussions.
The talks began on a sour note after the legitimate government objected to the Houthis’ increasing of the number of the members of their delegation.
Griffiths declared that the talks presented a "critical opportunity" to push peace forward, revealing that both sides agreed to a prisoner swap.
For her part, Wallström hoped that the warring parties would engage in talks that would build trust between them, demanding an end to the catastrophe in Yemen.
A UN source ruled out the possibility that the two sides would hold direct talks. Griffiths is expected to shuttle back and forth between them to address trust-building efforts and the formation of a transitional ruling authority.
US envoy to Yemen Matthew Toller told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Yemeni people hope that the warring parties would cooperate in order to achieve real reconciliation.
He hoped that they would set aside their disputes and work on achieving peace to all Yemenis.
