Yemeni gov't agrees to conditionally re-open Sanaa airport

 A Yemeni government official said on Friday that a number of conditions should be set for the re-opening of the Sanaa International Airport.

"The government does not mind re-opening Sana'a airport and it is working to provide help for all citizens across the country even those in the Houthi-controlled provinces," a government official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

"But the airport's operations must be placed under the government supervision including the inspection of planes arriving at and departing from Sanaa," the official said.

If not, "the Sanaa airport will remain closed ... because the rebels will use it for illegal purposes," the source noted.

On Thursday, local media reported that senior Houthi leaders threatened to fully close the Sanaa airport, considered a crucial humanitarian aid gateway and used for the delivery of urgent aid, if their demands are not met.

Yemen's Foreign Minister Khaled Yamani, head of the government negotiating team in Sweden, demanded the Houthi rebels completely withdraw from the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah and hand over their weapons.

"The Houthis should withdraw from institutions of the state and hand them back to the legitimate government. They should respect the will of the international community and surrender their arms, ammunitions and missiles," Yamani said in a statement.

The Houthis have refused to abide by the UN Security Council Resolution 2216, which stipulates their withdrawal from the areas they seized in 2014 and the handover of heavy weapons to the legitimate government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Observers argued that the Houthis will not give up their arms as both parties still don't have goodwill to reach a peace deal.

The UN-sponsored peace talks to build confidence between the Yemeni warring parties kicked off on Thursday in Sweden in the first step to resume the political process which ceased in 2016.

The talks are expected to last about a week, depending on the consultation's progress, according to Hanan Eldawadi, chief public information officer at the UN Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen.

The Yemeni warring parties have held several rounds of peace talks since the conflict began after Houthis seized power in late 2014.

However, all talks collapsed and failed to achieve a political agreement, leading to more violence.