A London-based newspaper says Saudi Arabia has held direct secret talks with Yemen’s Houthis and agreed to more negotiations in the Jordanian capital without fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi's knowledge.
The Rai al-Youm newspaper, edited by prominent Palestinian journalist Abdul Bari Atwan, said on Tuesday that the two sides may hold their next negotiations in a week.
According to the paper, UN special envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has informed the United Nations' under-secretary general for political affairs Jeffrey Feltman of the talks in a secret letter.
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud reportedly supervises the talks which have excluded Hadi.
Saudi Arabia has been carrying out attacks on Yemen from the air, ground and sea for a year now in an effort to restore Hadi to power.
At least 8,400 people, among them 2,236 children, have been killed so far and 16,015 others injured. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country’s facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.
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