SANAA, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi rebels on Tuesday welcomed the Saudi-led coalition's announcement to release 200 Houthi prisoners.
"We welcome the step announced by the Saudi-led coalition today," said Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, deputy head of the Houthi group, in a tweet.
The coalition said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency earlier that it would allow flights out of the Houthi-held capital Sanaa to evacuate people in need of medical treatment abroad in cooperation with the World Health Organization.
"The decision aims to further implement the Stockholm Agreement which includes the exchange of prisoners," said Turki Al Maliki, the coalition spokesman.
The move came after the Yemeni parties signaled readiness to make concessions for ending the nearly five-year civil war in Yemen.
On Nov. 22, the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths briefed the UN Security Council on the Yemeni political discussions, highlighting the agreements reached and the reduced airstrikes nationwide in the past two weeks.
"We call this de-escalation, a reduction in the tempo of the war, and perhaps a move toward an overall cease-fire in Yemen," Griffiths told the UN Security Council.
The Yemeni warring parties reached the Riyadh Agreement and Stockholm Agreement in early the month and December last year, respectively.
The Riyadh deal ended months of infighting between the government and southern separatists in Yemen's port city of Aden, while the cease-fire in the western port city of Hodeidah has been largely holding between the government and Houthi rebels in accordance with the Stockholm deal.
The Yemeni war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 3 million others and pushed the impoverished country to the brink of famine, according to the UN.
