SANAA, Yemen (AP) - The United Nations set the date for peace talks on Yemen for next week in Geneva, while the Saudi-led coalition on Wednesday bombed Shiite rebels in at least five of the country's northern provinces.
In a positive sign, the leader of the rebels known as Houthis backed the talks In Switzerland, saying they were the "only solution" for the conflict roiling his country. Abdul-Malek al-Houthi spoke just hours after the announcement from the U.N. that the talks would start in Geneva on May 28.
Earlier, Yemen's U.N. Ambassador Khaled Alyemany said the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, now in exile in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, will also attend the talks, adding it would be represented at a high level, perhaps by the vice president.
But a top Hadi aide, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, reiterated earlier government demands that the Houthis first pull out of towns and cities, including the capital, Sanaa, which they captured in a power grab that started last year. He said the government wouldn't give up its condition for the talks.
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has urged all parties to engage "without pre-conditions," stressing the only way to resolve Yemen's conflict is an "inclusive, negotiated political settlement." Ban was expected to attend the start of the Geneva talks.
The U.N.'s new envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, held meetings with rival political players in Yemen earlier this month. At the time, the Houthis expressed readiness to resume peace talks, insisting they take place in a "neutral" country.
But in his speech, broadcast on the rebels' TV channel, al-Houthi gave no indication his forces would withdraw and instead called for new recruits and for his followers to open new training camps to confront the Saudi-led air campaign.
"There is only one solution," al-Houthi said, "talks should be held in a neutral country."