Saudi coalition lifts more curbs on Yemeni imports as peace talks continue

A Saudi Arabian-led military coalition has lifted eight-year-old restrictions on imports headed for Yemen's southern ports, the internationally recognised authorities said, in a sign that peace talks are progressing with the Houthi group in the north.

The Saudi-backed government based in the south said in a statement late on Thursday that commercial ships would be allowed to dock directly in southern ports, including Aden, and all goods would be cleared, with some exceptions.

Abu Bakr Adeed, deputy head of Yemen's Chambers of Commerce, said ships would not have to stop at the Saudi Red Sea port of Jeddah for security checks for the first time since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015.

The Saudi government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This follows the easing of restrictions in February on commercial goods entering the Houthi-held western port of Hudaida, the country's main seaport, as Yemen's warring sides work to reinstate an expired UN-brokered truce deal.

The moves to increase the flow of goods to ports across the country appear to indicate progress in direct talks between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, which run in parallel with United Nations peace efforts.

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Permanent ceasefire deal

The Houthis, who ousted the internationally recognised government from the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014, are de facto authorities in North Yemen.

The conflict is widely seen in the region as a proxy war between rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, who recently agreed to restore relations severed in 2016 in a move seen as supporting peace efforts in Yemen.

Sources have told Reuters that the Saudi-Houthi talks are focused on a full reopening of Houthi-controlled ports and Sanaa airport, payment of wages for public servants and a timeline for non-Yemeni forces to exit the country.

The Saudi-led coalition had since 2015 imposed restrictions on the flow of goods into import-reliant Yemen, where war has devastated the economy.

A Saudi-Omani delegation is planning to travel to Yemen's capital Sanaa next week to hash out a permanent ceasefire deal with Houthi officials and end the country's eight-year conflict, two sources involved in the talks said.

If an agreement is reached, Yemen's warring parties could announce an agreement before the Islamic Eid holiday starting April 20, the sources said.

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