Sweden: Yemen govt. delegation insists Houthis should leave Hodeidah

The Yemeni government delegation repeated its demands that Houthi-led militias should leave the key city of Hodeidah, while speaking to the press in Rimbo, some 60km (37mi) from Stockholm, where UN-brokered talks were being held on Monday.
Speaking to the press outside Johannesberg Castle, the venue for the peace consultations, member of the government delegation Ali Ashal stated that Hodeidah should be returned to the Saudi-backed government with security responsibilities handed over to the Interior Ministry's security forces.
He added that the port of Hodeidah should also be handed over to the government-controlled coast guard, noting that the port revenues, local branches of the central bank and municipal services must be reinstated under control of the Yemeni government, as it was back in 2014.
The Red Sea city of Hodeidah is the country's major port, seized by Houthi forces in 2014, that led to its blockade by the coalition for all Shipments including humanitarian aid.
Military escalation between the two confronting sides around Hodeidah, which is seen as the key corridor to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, started last May and is considered as the main challenge in the current peace consultations, aimed at initiating trust-building steps between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government of Yemen.
Speaking on the issue of prisoner swaps, Ashal expressed his confidence that the lists of names were 'in the last stages of being handed over' and would be completed by the two sides within 48 hours.