Houthis Say Willing To Meet for Talks but Only in Neutral Country

The Houthis in Yemen said they would be willing to meet for talks with the Saudi-led coalition against the rebels if they are held in a neutral country. A Gulf state is a possibility, the Iran-backed Houthis said Thursday, though not Saudi Arabia as has been proposed.  The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is considering inviting the Houthis and other parties to Yemen’s civil war for talks leading to a UN-brokered peace agreement, Reuters first reported on Tuesday, citing two unnamed Gulf officials. “It is neither logical, nor fair that the host of the talks is also the sponsor of war and blockade,” the Houthis said in a statement. Oman and Kuwait have been floated as possible venues. Saudi Arabia has since 2015 led a coalition of nine countries in support of the internationally recognized government of Yemen, led by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Hadi, who is based in Riyadh, has agreed to the talks, the officials told Reuters. Jennifer Bell takes a deeper dive into the story for The Media Line.