A guard sits on the rubble of the house of Brigadier Fouad al-Emad, an army commander loyal to the Houthis, after air strikes destroyed it in Sanaa, Yemen June 15, 2015. Warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition bombarded Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa overnight as the country’s warring factions prepared for talks expected to start in Geneva on [the following] Monday. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY – RTX1GJK0
An Omani delegation has arrived in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, which has been controlled by Houthi rebels since 2014.
The visit is the culmination of indirect negotiations between the Saudis and the Houthis in Muscat.
The rapprochement between Tehran and Riyadh [the capital of Saudi Arabia], with Chinese mediation and the upcoming resumption of diplomatic relations, has paved the way for an agreement in Yemen.
The Saudi ideas, which the Omani delegation will discuss with Houthi leaders, are based on 4 steps: a 6-month truce, exchange of all prisoners of war, reopening of all communication routes and resumption of oil exports, and finally a political negotiation for the formation of a 2-year transitional government.