RIYADH — Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Al-Budaiwi on Friday welcomed the starting of a major prisoner swap between the Yemeni government and Houthis.

The prisoner deal, the second of its kind in Yemen, is a considerable humanitarian initiative during these blessed days, which would help hundreds of prisoners and detainees return home, he said in a press statement.

It, further, gives a fresh hope to ongoing efforts aiming at finding a solution to the Yemeni crisis and bringing peace back to Yemen and its people through a permanent truce and a political solution that ensures stability in Yemen and the region, based on the Gulf Initiative and its executive mechanism, National Conference Output and relevant UNSC resolutions, he added.

The GCC chief commended the sincere efforts of both Saudi and Omani delegations for mediation between warring parties in Sanaa, which reflected the unwavering stance of all the GCC member states to resolve the Yemeni crisis through a comprehensive political solution. — Agencies