Western, Arab diplomats meet with representatives of Yemen's Saleh

Diplomats from the US, the UAE and the UK have reportedly met with representatives of Yemen’s former president Ali Abdullah Saleh for talks aimed at ending ongoing fighting between Shia Houthi militias and government loyalists in the conflict-ravaged country.

A senior official within Saleh’s Congress party told Reuters news agency on Thursday that negotiations in Cairo had made “significant progress”, although the party subsequently denied that any talks had taken place and western diplomats played down the meeting.

If confirmed, the talks would be the first between Saleh, who is allied to Shia Houthi militants currently battling pro-government forces, and members of the Saudi-led coalition that is providing air support for the campaign to regain areas of the country currently under Houthi control.

Saleh was forced to step down after 33 years as Yemen’s president in early 2012 following months of mass protests and deadly violence.

He has backed the Houthi rebels in their campaign to remove his successor, President Abd Rabu Mansur Hadi, who fled the country to Saudi Arabia in March after government forces lost control of both Sanaa, the capital, and Aden, the second city.

Since then, Saudi and Emirati fighter jets have carried out airstrikes against the rebels as well as bombing Saleh’s fortified residence in Sanaa.

"There are negotiations in Cairo between the leaders of the Congress party and diplomats from the United States, Britain and the UAE in order to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in Yemen," Adel Shuja, a Congress party leader, told Reuters.

"These negotiations have made significant progress so far."

The Congress Party put out an official statement later on Thursday denying the meeting, and western diplomats spoken to by Reuters described the talks as part of regular discussions with Yemeni officials.

Saudi calls for 'political solution'

Speaking in Cairo, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said the coalition supported any effort to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the whole coalition realises the solution to the crisis is a political solution and supports any efforts put forward to convince the different sides to accept the basis upon which a political solution can be built," al-Jubeir said.

Government loyalists have regained control of many parts of Aden, including the airport, and earlier this month declared the southern port city “liberated”, although fierce fighting in the region has continued.

On Thursday, the airport was shelled hours after a Saudi military plane bringing aid had landed there.

The chief of security for the airport told AFP that the rockets had been fired by Houthi fighters loyal to Saleh.

Military sources said pro-government forces had forced the rebels to fall back to about 15 kilometres from the edge of the city.

Taking advantage of a day of relative calm, a boat chartered by the International Committee of the Red Cross and loaded with humanitarian aid was able to dock on Thursday.

Aid had been unable to enter the city by sea or by air for months, and residents who had fled to Djibouti told Middle East Eye last month that their city had become “like Syria”.

A government official said on Thursday that 1,000 people had been killed in Aden since the outbreak of war there.

The UN says the conflict has killed more than 3,200 people, about half of them civilians, throughout Yemen since late March, and estimates that more than 21 million people need aid.

The US has repeatedly called for an end to the conflict. In a phone call on Tuesday, US President Barack Obama spoke with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman about the "urgent" need to stop the fighting and ensure humanitarian access to all areas of the country.