Yemen.. Agreement on the release of 200 prisoners, new UN peace efforts

Sources familiar with the course of the Geneva negotiations between the delegation of the Yemeni government and the delegation of the terrorist Houthi militias on the prisoners confirmed the existence of a consensus between the two sides to release 100 prisoners, on its third day, while the Houthi delegation refused to include the detained journalists in the prisoner exchange lists.

The sources pointed out that the negotiations are proceeding according to what was planned in the indirect consultations of Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman between the Yemeni parties under the auspices of the United Nations, and the supervision of the regional and international communities.

According to the sources, the number of two hundred prisoners from each side has been approved for release so far, and the lists of the rest of the names on the table are being negotiated, amid optimism that large numbers of prisoners will eventually be released.

The Geneva negotiations coincided with the issuance of death sentences by a Houthi court to 3 innocent detainees, while the continued absence of political abductees and activists who were not included in the lists submitted by the Houthi delegation.

In addition, the militias continue to refuse to talk about the release of four journalists facing initial death sentences on charges that international human rights organizations say are "malicious and fabricated."

The international community is exerting great pressure on the Houthi militias to release the journalists, with the start of a new round of prisoner exchange negotiations in the Swiss city of Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations.

On the other hand, the envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, resumed his efforts to establish a lasting peace in Yemen, and paid a visit to Tehran.

The UN envoy's office said in a tweet on its Twitter account that the envoy met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, his senior aide Ali Asghar Khaji, and a number of Iranian officials, and discussed with them the developments of the situation in Yemen, and the importance of regional support to start an inclusive Yemeni-led political process under the auspices of the United Nations to end the conflict in a sustainable manner.

In his meetings in Tehran, UN envoy Grundberg stressed that ending the conflict in Yemen is an important issue in order to enhance security in the region.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a press statement that the "positive" atmosphere of relations between his country and Saudi Arabia will be a reason to resolve the crisis in Yemen.

According to Yemeni political sources, the envoy's visit to Tehran is a good sign that will open closed doors in the final peace consultations in Yemen, and comes within the framework of the recent Saudi-Iranian agreement, noting that the Yemen file is linked to several regional and international files.

In a statement, the National Coalition parties in Yemen pointed out that "the establishment of a comprehensive and just peace in Yemen begins with the dismantling of the weapons of the Houthi militias, so that security, stability and political life return with their peaceful and safe tools."

On the ground, three soldiers from the Shabwa Defense Forces were killed today in an attack on a security point on the main road linking Bayhan and Ataq in Al-Safra area of Usaylan district.

In Marib, the Houthi militias continued to launch repeated attacks on army and resistance positions in the southern and western fronts of the governorate and in Ragwan in the northwest, using rockets, drones and heavy artillery, causing losses among the forces.

According to field sources, the Houthi attacks that took place in the past hours on the Marib fronts led to the death of two soldiers and the injury of three others in the sandy axis fronts, prompting the forces to respond to the sources of fire by targeting Houthi reinforcements in Wadi Dhana, and destroyed them.