ADEN, Yemen
UN envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar has picked Qatari capital Doha to be the venue of dialogue talks between the crisis-hit country's political forces, a source close to the Yemeni presidency said Tuesday.
"The UN envoy is due to invite the Yemeni political parties on Tuesday to dialogue talks that would be hosted by Doha," the source, requesting anonymity, told The Anadolu Agency.
The source said that Benomar told the UN Security Council that the dialogue sessions would take place in Doha, but the signing of any possible agreement would be hosted by Saudi capital Riyadh.
Yemeni political rivals have recently agreed to form a presidential council to run Yemen during the country's transition. The rivals, however, were at odds over who should head the council.
The Muslim Brotherhood's party and leftists insist that incumbent President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi lead the council, whereas the Shiite Houthi group and the party of ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh suggest other names.
Politically fractious Yemen has recently appeared on the brink of civil war, with the powerful Shiite Houthi movement seeking to expand its influence beyond capital Sanaa, which it took over last September.
Last month, the Houthis issued what they described as a constitutional declaration dissolving parliament and establishing a 551-member transitional council.
The declaration was, however, rejected by most of Yemen's political forces – along with some neighboring Gulf countries – which described it as a coup against constitutional legitimacy.
