"I expect that before mid-November, God willing, a date will be specified and I expect that the dialogue must begin before mid-November, as a minimum, 15 November," U.N. envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told Reuters in Bahrain.

All major combatants have publicly agreed to implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 2216, which calls on Houthi and Saleh forces to withdraw from main cities and surrender arms captured from Yemeni government forces.

However, while Hadi and the coalition have previously demanded that this happen before talks begin, the Houthis and Saleh want talks to address mechanism for Resolution 2216 to be implemented. Discussions between the United Nations and the Houthis have taken place already in Oman's capital Muscat.

Reports also said that tens of militants loyal to Yemen’s fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, withdrew from a military base in the southern province of Aden.

According to the latest figures by Yemeni sources, at least 7,000 people have lost their lives in the Saudi strikes since March 26, when Riyadh launched the airstrikes.

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