Sweden ready to host Yemen peace talks

STOCKHOLM: Sweden is ready to host peace talks as soon as possible to try and negotiate an end to the war in Yemen, Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said Tuesday. “We are preparing ourselves to, when the parties are ready, welcome them in Sweden,” she told Swedish news agency TT. “We are also relying on (UN envoy) Martin Griffiths for this and hope it will happen. It is needed for everyone who is starving and dying in Yemen,” she added. “It is high time for peace talks.” Wallstrom said she hoped the negotiations could begin this month. Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in the conflict between embattled Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, whose government is recognised by the United Nations, and the Iran-backed Huthi rebels in 2015. The coalition has been waging an aerial bombing campaign in Yemen aimed at pushing the Huthis back, but the rebels still hold the key Red Sea port city of Hodeida and the capital Sanaa.