GCC chief hopes for restart of Yemen peace talks

The head of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said late Friday that he hopes for the restart of peace talks in Yemen with the participation of the Houthis and a halt to the fighting.

In a phone call, GCC Secretary General Abdullatif Al Zayani told UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths that he supported his efforts to rekindle negotiations, according to a statement from the GCC.

He added that the peace talks would serve as a “very good chance” to relieve the Yemeni people of their grievances and reach a political solution.

Al Zayani also called on other countries to support Griffiths’ efforts, the statement said.

Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.