Jordan to host second round of Yemen talks Tuesday

<p>By Laith Juneidi </p> <p>AMMAN (AA) – Jordan will host a second round of talks between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels on Tuesday.</p> <p>A supervisory committee mandated with discussing a propose prisoner swap between the two sides is set to convene on Feb. 5, according to a statement released by UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths.</p> <p>The committee reportedly includes representatives of the Yemeni government, the Houthis and the UN.</p> <p>On Saturday, Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Sufyan Qudah confirmed that Amman had agreed to Griffiths’ request to host the meeting later this week. </p> <p>Talks are aimed at hammering out a prisoner-exchange deal between Yemen’s Aden-based government and the Sanaa-based rebel group.</p> <p>Last month, Jordan hosted a first round of talks between the two sides in hopes of reaching a mutually-acceptable prisoner-exchange agreement. </p> <p>Late last year, peace talks in Sweden ended with a ceasefire being declared in Yemen’s coastal Al-Hudaydah province. </p> <p>Since then, however, the warring parties have both failed to withdraw from the province in line with the terms of the Stockholm agreement.</p>