UN says Yemen deal close as dozen killed in Saudi airstrikes

At least a dozen civilians are martyred in Saudi airstrikes in northern Yemen as the UN envoy says warring parties are closer to agreement at peace talks in Kuwait.

"We are moving towards a general understanding that encompasses the expectations and visions of the parties," Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement Wednesday.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed was to brief the UN Security Council in a closed session later in the day on the progress made in the peace talks which began on April 21.

The apparent progress comes after the Saudi-backed side said on Monday that it stood ready to make concessions to Ansarullah movement and its allies.

The main sticking point in the talks has been the form of government to oversee a transition.

Ansarullah and its allies have demanded a unity government but the Saudi-backed side insists that former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi should take the reins.

The Saudi side has also demanded that the movement withdraws from the capital and other territory which they have been controlling since 2014.

MG