Delegates from the internationally recognised Yemeni government sat down on Friday with Houthi rebels for talks chaired by the Red Cross, said the UN envoy to Yemen.
Martin Griffiths urged both parties to “release detainees swiftly” and “bring relief to thousands of Yemeni families”.
The aim of the talks is to build on the occasional releases of dozens of prisoners over the past two years and implement the war’s “first official large-scale exchange”.
The two sides committed earlier this year to swap over 1,400 detainees.
It was announced earlier this week that the delegations, which had been meeting in Jordan, would fly to Switzerland for “week-long” talks. On Friday however, the office of the UN envoy said it was unclear how long the discussions would take.
The Iran-allied Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government are trying to reach an agreement to end a war that started in 2014. Over 112,000 have been killed, and the conflict has led to a humanitarian crisis in what is the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country.
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Could Switzerland help end the conflict in Yemen?
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Some experts believe that neutral Switzerland might have a role to play in bringing peace to war-torn Yemen.
Report finds serious security flaws in Swiss hospital information systems
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The IT systems of several Swiss hospitals suffer from serious security flaws, according to the National Testing Institute for Cybersecurity (NTC).
Cost of leisure activities rises dramatically in Switzerland
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The Swiss paid more for leisure activities in December. Prices for vacation apartments, package tours and cable cars rose significantly.
New Swiss epidemic surveillance centre inaugurated
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The Centre for Pathogen Bioinformatics was inaugurated in Bern on Thursday. It aims to improve epidemics monitoring in Switzerland using genomic data.
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Switzerland, as a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), signed a free trade agreement with Thailand during WEF.
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The federal audit office has criticised the Swiss government for poor planning of the procurement of six drones from an Israeli supplier.
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Swiss security companies active in North Africa and Middle East
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Operators of so-called mercenaries are obliged by law to report their activities to the Swiss foreign ministry, which makes them public. In 2019, a total of 31 companies reported 478 missions – all of them legal. The numbers of activities were largely the same as 2018. The foreign ministry department responsible for monitoring mercenary activity…
Pilatus challenges ‘export ban’ to Saudi Arabia and UAE
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The Swiss aircraft manufacturer takes the foreign ministry to court for banning the company from operating in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
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