Arab coalition: Access granted to ships heading to Yemen’s Hodeidah port

View of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen June 24, 2018. (Reuters)

DUBAI: The Saudi-led coalition said on Friday that four ships headed to Yemen’s Hodeidah have been granted access to the port while seven other vessels were waiting for permission to enter.

Yemen's warring parties have confirmed their willingness to restart negotiations after a two-year hiatus, the UN special envoy for Yemen said even as fighting raged along the country's west coast over a key port city.

Martin Griffiths told the UN radio late on Thursday that he plans to bring the Houthis, and the country's internationally recognized government to the negotiating table within the next few weeks "at the very latest."

He said he hopes the UN Security Council will come up with a plan next week and present it to the Yemenis.

(With agencies)