![United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths (C-R) and International Committee of the Red Cross President Peter Maurer (C-L) attend a new round of talks by Yemen's warring parties on prisoners swap on February 5, 2019 in Amman.[Photo: VCG]](http://img3.zhytuku.meldingcloud.com/images/zhycms_chinaplus/20190218/db669462-7a89-4139-af9d-8825601d0b35.jpg?x-oss-process=image/resize,w_650)
Yemen’s warring parties have agreed on the first phase of troop withdrawal from the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, said the United Nations on Sunday.
Representatives of the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels met in the UN-facilitated talks in Hodeidah on Saturday and Sunday, and reached agreement on phase 1 of the troop withdrawal, said the press office of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“After lengthy but constructive discussions facilitated by the RCC chair, the parties reached an agreement on phase 1 of the mutual redeployment of forces. The parties also agreed, in principle, on phase 2 of the mutual redeployment, pending additional consultations within their respective leadership,” said the office in a note to correspondents.
The next round of talks within the framework of the RCC (Redeployment Coordination Committee) is expected to convene within a week with the aim to finalize an agreement on phase 2, it said.
The RCC talks were aimed at implementing a deal on troop withdrawal from the city of Hodeidah and ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa as set out in the Stockholm Agreement in December 2018.
