Yemen president insists on rebel pullback for UN talks

Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi on Saturday laid out his exiled government's demands to attend UN-brokered peace talks, including the withdrawal of Shiite rebels from territory they have seized.

Hadi fled to the Saudi capital Riyadh along with his government in late March when the Shiite Huthi rebels advanced on his southern stronghold of Aden.

Just five days head of the Geneva conference, Hadi was unwilling to budge as he reiterated his conditions in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Hadi said he was in favour of Thursday's talks but insisted the United Nations press the Huthis to pull back from regions they captured across Yemen, according to the official Saba news agency.

The embattled leader demanded the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2216.

The April resolution called on the Huthis to relinquish territory they seized and surrender weapons they took from the army and other state institutions.

Last year the Huthis descended from their northern stronghold of Sanaa and swept through the capital Sanaa before extending their influence over other parts of the country.

In a bid to restore the authority of Hadi and his government, Saudi Arabia has been leading an air campaign against the Iran-backed Huthis since March 26.
Source: AFP