Yemen Reconciliation Conference to Provide Basis For Any Future Talks

Displaced Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi said that he saw Yemen "as a country for all the Yemenis."

CAIRO (Sputnik) — The conference on Yemen reconciliation in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh will be a starting point for any future negotiations on the conflict’s settlement, displaced Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi said Sunday.

«The conference will provide a basis for any dialogue or negotiations", Hadi said.

The president stressed that he saw Yemen "as a country for all the Yemenis."

The conference in the Saudi capital involves over 400 representatives of the country’s political forces and the international organizations. However, the representatives of the Houthi rebel group, the main opposition force in Yemen, do not participate in the conference.

Yemen has been engulfed in violence and political deadlock since late 2014, when the Houthi rebels took control over large swathes of the country, prompting President Hadi to flee the country.

On March 26, the Saudi-led coalition of Arab states started conducting airstrikes on Yemen, targeting Houthi rebel positions at Hadi's request.

On April 21, the coalition said it had ended the Decisive Storm military operation and announced the start of the Restoring Hope campaign, saying it would focus on counter-terrorism and humanitarian efforts. Despite the announcement, the airstrikes have continued.

More than 1,600 people, about half of them civilians, have died in Yemen since mid-March, according to the recent UN estimates.