Yemen president backs UN peace talks, but says key port Hodeida to be liberated

Yemen’s President Abed Rabbou Mansour Hadi has backed UN-proposed talks to end fighting in the war-torn country but vowed to “liberate” the battleground rebel-held port city of Hodeida regardless of the peace process, according to AFP. The president has issued directives “to back all efforts that guarantee the interests of Yemen in reaching sustainable peace” based on UN resolutions, a spokesman for the president said, as cited by Saba news agency. “The battle of the Yemeni people to liberate Hodeida is inevitable, whether through peace or war,” the statement said. The comments came hours after the United Arab Emirates, a key ally of the Yemeni government, said it supported UN plans to hold peace talks in Sweden by the end of the year.