An Omani delegation has begun a visit to Sanaa to hold talks with the Houthis as part of mediation aimed at reaching a new truce in Yemen and reviving the peace process after the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement, Yemeni official sources told AFP on Saturday.

United Nations officials and experts on Yemeni affairs believe that the agreement of Tehran and Riyadh, which support conflicting parties in Yemen mired in war, to resume diplomatic relations, may push for a political solution in the poorest country of the Arabian Peninsula.

Official sources at Sana'a International Airport, which is under the control of the Houthis, said, "An Omani delegation, accompanied by Mohammed Abdul Salam, the official spokesman for the Houthis, arrived in Sana'a to hold talks with the Houthi leadership" about a new truce "and the peace process."

Abdul Salam, who resides in Amman, confirmed in a tweet on Twitter that he and the brotherly Omani delegation had arrived in the capital, Sana'a.

The war in Yemen since 2014 has killed hundreds of thousands directly and indirectly, with most of the population relying on aid to survive.

Since 2014, Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition that supports the internationally recognized Yemeni government, while Iran supports the Houthi rebels who took control of the capital in 2014.

The announcement last month of a rapprochement agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the two most important regional powers in the Gulf that are on opposite sides of most Middle East files, revived the optimism that began last year to reach a truce.

The United Nations envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, warned Sunday that the war-torn country faces a "critical time" and called for a permanent end to the conflict, exactly a year after a truce brought the fighting to a halt.

The Swedish diplomat considered that the truce that was reached on April 2, 2022, mediated by the United Nations, is a "moment of hope," noting that it is largely in place, despite the end of its effects in October.

According to Yemeni government sources, members of the Yemeni Presidency Council recently "agreed" to a Saudi vision regarding resolving the Yemeni crisis, after Saudi-Houthi talks under Omani sponsorship that lasted for two months in Muscat.

The Saudi perception, according to the sources, is based on agreeing to a truce for a period of six months in a first phase to build confidence, then a period of negotiation for three months on managing the transitional phase, which will last for two years, during which a final solution will be negotiated between all parties.

The first phase includes confidence-building measures, the most important of which is paying the salaries of government employees in all areas, including the Houthi-controlled areas, and opening closed roads and the airport.
Saudi officials did not respond to an AFP request for comment.

On Wednesday, the US special envoy to Yemen, Timothy Lenderking, urged the Iranians "to really show that they are bringing about a positive shift in the conflict, then there will be no more arms smuggling to the Houthis in violation of UN Security Council resolutions."

The envoy had visited the Sultanate of Oman in recent weeks.

Iran welcomed the invitation, considering Lenderking's remarks "satisfactory."