Prisoner swap deal bolsters hopes for Yemen peace talks

Yemen's warring sides haveagreed to free thousands of prisoners in what a UN mediator called a hopeful start to the first peace talks in years to end a war that has pushed millions of people on the verge of starvation.

UN mediator Martin Griffiths told a news conference Thursday as negotiations began in Stockholm that just getting the warring sides to the table was an important milestone.

Tens of thousands have died in the war, which hasspawned what the United Nations calls the world's direst humanitarian crisis, since a Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in 2015 to restore a government ousted by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.

No talks have been held since 2016, and the last attempt in Geneva in September failed when the Houthis did not attend.

Support for Saudi-led campaign flagging

Griffiths said the prisoner swap agreed at the start of the talks would reunite thousands of families. The International Committee of the Red Cross, which will oversee the implementation of the transfers as a "neutral intermediary," said at least 5,000 would be freed.

The war, widely seen across the region as a proxy conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, has been stalemated for years, threatening supply lines to feed nearly 30 million inhabitants.

The Houthis control the capital Sanaa and most populated areas, while the ousted government based in the southern city of Aden has struggled to advance despite the aid of Arab states.

Humanitarian suffering in one of the world's poorest countries has added to pressure on the parties to end the conflict, with faith in the Saudi-led war effort flagging among Western allies that arm and support the coalition.

Outrage over the Oct. 2 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggiat the kingdom's Istanbul Consulate has refocused attention onthe Yemen war and scrutiny over Riyadh's regional activities.

Diplomats are expected to shuttle between the warring parties to discuss other confidence-building steps and the formation of a transitional governing body, a UN source said.

Griffiths wants a deal on reopening Sanaa airport, shoringup the central bank and securing a truce in Hodeidah, thecountry's main port, held by the Houthis and a focus of the warafter the coalition launched a campaign to capture it this year.

This could lead to a wider ceasefire to halt coalition airstrikes that have killed thousands of civilians, and Houthimissile attacks on Saudi cities.

Far from agreement

A UN source said that the two sides were still far fromagreement on the three issues, especially on who should manageHodeidah port and whether the Houthis should entirely quit thecity. "Hodeidah is very complex," the source said.

The United Nations is trying to avert a full-scale assaulton Hodeidah, the entry point for most of Yemen's commercialgoods and aid. Both sides have reinforced positions in the RedSea city in sporadic battles after a de-escalation last month.

The other main route in and out of Houthi territory is theSanaa airport, but access is restricted by the Saudi-ledcoalition which controls the air space.

The head of the Houthis' Supreme Revolutionary Committee,Mohammed Ali al-Houthi said in a Twitter post that if no deal isreached to reopen the airport, the movement could close it onthe ground to all traffic including UN flights.