Yemeni warring parties agree on pullout steps from port city

Yemen's warring parties have agreed on the first stage of a mutual pullout of forces from the key port city of Hodeida, a humanitarian aid lifeline that had been blocked by fighting, the United Nations said.

A UN statement late Sunday said the agreement by a committee which includes members of Yemen's internationally recognized government and their adversaries, the Shiite Houthi rebels came after two days of meeting behind the Hodeida front line.

The warring sides agreed in Sweden in December to confidence-building measures, including a cease-fire in Hodeida and the exchange of thousands of prisoners. But the implementation of those deals has been slow and marred by violence.

The UN says the committee, led by Danish Lt Gen Michael Lollesgaard, plans to reconvene within a week.

The statement said both sides "made important progress on planning for the redeployment of forces as envisaged in the Hodeida agreement."