Yemen sides begin UN-brokered talks on prisoner exchange

By SAMY MAGDY
Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — The U.N. says Yemen’s warring sides have begun talks aimed at implementing a U.N.-brokered deal on a prisoner exchange. The discussions between Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Houthi rebels are talking place in Switzerland. They are co-chaired by U.N. envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Grundberg urged both parties to “engage in serious and forthcoming discussions to agree on releasing as many detainees as possible,” according to a U.N. statement. Yemen’s conflict erupted in 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthis seized the capital of Sanaa prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene months later in a bid to restore the internationally recognized government to power.