Al Mukalla: The five permanent members of the UN Security Council have sent a joint letter to Al Houthis and loyalists of ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh asking them to attend the peace talks in Kuwait, the UN Special Envoy to Yemen told the government delegation attending the peace talks on Tuesday, Gulf News has learnt.

Esmail Ould Shaikh Ahmad announced on Monday the delay in the peace negotiations that were set to begin on Monday due to the absence of Al Houthis and Saleh’s representatives.

A member of the Yemen government delegation told Gulf News that the UN envoy asked them to be patient and wait until Al Houthis respond to the letter of UN permanent members. “We will take a decision on our participation in talks tomorrow [Wednesday],” said the government official who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to brief reporters.

The official said the government of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi threatened to take strong measures if Al Houthis did not show up on Wednesday. These measures including boycotting future talks with Al Houthis and announcing military decision as the option for ending Al Houthis’ “coup” and enforcing the UN Security Council resolution 2216.

Al Houthis said they delayed their travel to Kuwait because of non-stop air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition and the absence of clear agendas.

Days before the proposed start of the talks, many observers in Yemen expected that the new round would lead to a peace formula that would put an end to months of fighting between Al Houthis and government forces, citing conciliatory signals from both sides. Al Houthis unexpectedly engaged in direct talks with Saudi Arabia and pledged to the Saudis to comply with the UN Security Council resolution that obliges them to end their grip on power.

In battlegrounds, fighting raged on Monday and Tuesday between government loyalists and Al Houthis in Jawf, Marib and Taiz. Officials in the northern province of Jawf said Al Houthis launched on Monday night a big assault on their sites in Al Agaba region, northern Hazem, the capital of Jawf. The government forces repelled the assault after fierce battle that claimed the lives of many fighters on both sides. Residents in Taiz said that Al Houthis shelled their city with anti-aircraft guns on Monday night.