Houthi supporters and fighters have been at war with Saudi-backed forces since 2015 Photo: AFP/ Mohammed Huwais
By Sebastian Usher, Middle East analyst, BBC News
Analysis - A Saudi Arabian delegation is in Yemen's capital Sana'a for talks with the Houthi rebel movement aimed at reaching a new and potentially permanent ceasefire.
A mediation team from Oman is also in Sana'a.
The capital has been controlled by the Houthis since they drove the Yemeni government out in 2015.
Soon after, war erupted between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition supporting the government.
It has continued ever since, leaving tens of thousands of Yemenis dead and some 80 percent of the population relying on aid.
No official confirmation had yet been made by the Saudi side, but Houthi outlets said that both the Saudi and Omani delegations were in Sana'a.
A leaked photo appeared to show the Houthi leader Mohammed Ali al-Houthi shaking the hand of a Saudi official, whose face was obscured.
The news was greeted as another significant sign of the willingness of both sides to finally reach a deal that could end the war.
No named officials commented, but there were reports from various sources that an agreement could be signed before the end of the month. Again, the terms of such a deal had not been made public.
But they were said to include commitments to pay the wages of public employees and reopen all ports and airports - as well as more ambitious goals, such as rebuilding the country, the exit of foreign forces and a political transition. All of these issues had been stumbling blocks in the past.
This initiative was itself in parallel with a UN process, which resulted in a temporary ceasefire last year.
During the period of the truce, various confidence-building measures were able to go ahead and those had continued, including the easing of restrictions on imports and the exchange of prisoners.
The conflict in Yemen is complex, and a permanent ceasefire between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis would not necessarily bring an end to all fighting.
Other factions, including Al-Qaeda, have their own battles still to fight.
But the proxy war between the Saudis and Iran did look like it was coming to an end - with the two regional rivals now committed to a rapprochement that would see them reopen diplomatic missions.
That appeared to have created the momentum for a serious drive toward ending the war, with the talks in Sana'a clearly key to its success.
- BBC
