"Today I am also pleased to announce the signing of an agreement on the exchange of prisoners, detainees, the missing, the forcibly detained, and individuals placed under house arrest. This is a huge tribute to those here present and of enormous importance to many thousands of families who seek [their] return. It will allow thousands of families to be reunited, and it is a product of very effective, active work from both delegations, and I am very grateful. What we will do here and in the coming weeks is [working] on the implementation of that agreement and make it happen," Griffiths said during a press conference.
According to the special envoy, the consultations in Sweden may see the sides touch upon general points regarding the settlement of the conflict.
"We will be discussing the release of prisoners… We will look at if there is an appetite, the opening of Sanaa airport… the issue of the economy, and how the two parties can contribute to a coherent economic plan… I don't want to be overly optimistic but I want to be over ambitious. We will deal with care, we will deal with respect. We have ambitions to discuss with them the outlines of what might constitute an eventual settlement… the framework for negotiations," Griffiths said.
The two delegations arrived in Sweden on 5 December. The crisis settlement talks were expected to begin on 7 December and last through 14 December but have already begun earlier on 6 December, in a castle in Rimbo, a town north of Stockholm.
Sweden is currently hosting the intra-Yemeni talks between the governmental delegation and the Houthi rebels.
The almost four-year war between Yemen and the Shiite Houthi movement has become the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with half of the Yemeni population assessed by the UN as being on the brink of starvation.
