US Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday implored Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen and those who have "influence over them" to enter negotiations and put an end to the unrest in the Gulf nation, the AFP reports.
"This has to be a two-way street," Kerry told reporters, saying that Saudi Arabia was moving to a humanitarian phase of its Yemen campaign and adding that "we need the Houthi and we need those that can influence them to make sure that they are prepared to try to move... to the negotiating table."
Kerry added that the United Nations had already appointed a facilitator for negotiations and that both sides appeared ready to discuss a location for peace talks.
"Now the key is to get that up and running and get to the talks as fast as possible because a political solution is absolutely essential," the US top diplomat said.
Many innocent civilians had suffered from the violence in Yemen and it was "a top priority to try to minimize it," he added.
"Hopefully in the next days this will de-escalate even more and we can get to a place where negotiations take hold."
