(CNN)Yemen’s Saudi-backed government confirmed it will participate in United Nations-sponsored peace talks in Sweden, the country’s official news agency reported Monday.
The government, headed by exiled President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, is the first of the warring Yemeni groups to publicly commit to peace talks spearheaded by UN Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths. The discussions would be the first official negotiations since talks were held between Yemeni parties in Kuwait in 2016.
The announcement came shortly before the United Kingdom introduced a draft resolution on Yemen at the UN Security Council on Monday in which it calls for a ceasefire in Yemen and a two-week break in fighting to allow aid into the besieged country. The Security Council is expected to continue discussing the draft resolution Tuesday, but a vote on it is not expected until after Thanksgiving.
