Rebel delegates report some progress at Yemen peace talks

RIMBO, Sweden — Yemeni rebel delegates at talks underway in Sweden to try end their country’s ruinous civil war reported progress Saturday on the key issues of reopening the airport at the capital, Sanaa, and the implementation of an agreement reached earlier in the week on the exchange of prisoners.

U.N. special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, struck a positive note, saying that the two sides were demonstrating a “positive spirit” in the talks.

Yemen’s four-year conflict, which has pushed the country to the brink of famine, pits the country’s Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, against Yemen’s internationally recognized government supported by a Saudi-led coalition. The U.N. has led a push to resolve the conflict, but past attempts have failed.