CAIRO (Sputnik) — Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi will not negotiate with Shiite Houthi rebels until they surrender and lay down arms, the president's chief of staff said Tuesday.
"The president's position is clear. He reiterated it in a speech at the Arab League Summit [held in Egypt over the weekend]. Houthis must capitulate, leave all occupied territories and turn in weapons," Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak told RIA Novosti.
Earlier on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested that the sides to the Yemeni conflict should resume talks on neutral territory.
On March 25, a Saudi-led coalition began firing air-to-ground missiles on Houthi positions in Yemen after ousted Yemeni President Hadi called for help. Other countries participating in the coalition include United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Morocco, Sudan, Pakistan and Egypt.
