Yemen parties hopeful on prisoner swap lists

Amman - The United Nations is pushing for the swap and a peace deal in the main port city of Hodeida.

Yemen's warring parties hope to deliver final lists of prisoners to the United Nations after talks in Amman on Thursday under an exchange agreement, a government delegate said.
The United Nations is pushing for the swap and a peace deal in the main port city of Hodeida to pave the way for a second round of talks to end the nearly four-year war that has killed tens of thousands of people.
While there is progress on the prisoners, the United Nations has struggled to implement a troop withdrawal from Hodeida, a lifeline for millions, amid mistrust among all sides.
The Iranian-backed Houthi militia and the Saudi-backed government on December 11 exchanged lists of around 15,000 prisoners. They must submit written remarks on lists provided by the other side, respond and sign the final versions before handing them to the United Nations and the Red Cross which would oversee the exchange. "We are at the stage of remarks but there are some gaps that are now being addressed," the head of the government delegation, Hadi Haig, said.

• MENA