Ould Cheikh voiced the importance of preparing for a new round of talks.

United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said on Saturday that he had held three meetings with the delegation of Houthi militias and forces loyal to deposed president Ali Abdullah Saleh in Muscat to discuss the roadmap.

The meetings addressed security arrangements, ceasefire and activating the work of the De-escalation and Coordination Committee.

Ould Cheikh voiced the importance of preparing for a new round of talks, adding that he will head on Sunday to Riyadh then to Kuwait to discuss holding another round.

He also said he’s willing to visit Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi in Aden if it’s required to do so, adding that the Yemeni government has handed over a response regarding the roadmap.

Ould Cheikh added that the next round of negotiations must be short and must not exceed a week or ten days to sign a final agreement.

Meanwhile, Yemeni Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdulmalik Mikhlafi said on Saturday that the UN envoy will arrive in Aden in the next two days to meet with Hadi who arrived to Aden on Saturday.

Mikhlafi, who heads the government’s negotiating delegation, said the government will submit its response on the roadmap to Ould Cheikh who proposed the peace bid.

The Yemeni government had been reluctant to accept the roadmap but it finally accepted it with reservations.

[vuukle]