Yemen's warring sides negotiate on lifting siege on Taiz: UN envoy

Representatives of the Yemeni government and the Houthi militia started meetings in Jordan's capital Amman on Wednesday to discuss lifting the siege on Taiz city, which holds strategic significance in southwestern Yemen.
The UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said on his official Twitter account that the talks are under his auspices and he has spent the last few days in Jordan talking with Yemen's political heavyweights.
The government-controlled Taiz has been under siege since the civil war erupted in Yemen in late 2014. Lifting the blockade would facilitate the movement of citizens and allow humanitarian aid access.
The lift is also the last major term to be fulfilled pursuant to the agreement reached by warring sides before the two-month ceasefire starting on April 2.
The truce marks the first breakthrough in more than seven years in efforts to end the war in Yemen that has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed the country to the brink of starvation.
Last week, the Houthis said they are considering a request by the United Nations to extend the ongoing truce with the Yemeni government, which expires on June 2.
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