GCC chief welcomes Yemen's prisoner swap deal

RIYADH, Dec 23 (KUNA) -- The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jassim Al-Budaiwi welcomed, the agreement on exchange of prisoners in Yemen, signed on Tuesday in Muscat, the capital city of Oman.
In a press statement, Al-Budaiwi praised the mediation efforts made by Saudi Arabia, Oman, the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Yemen and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
He expressed hope that the agreement would contribute to strengthening the path toward peace and stability in Yemen, alleviating the humanitarian suffering of the brotherly Yemeni people, and building confidence among the parties, leading to a comprehensive and sustainable political solution that ensures Yemen's security, stability, and unity and serves the aspirations of its people for peace and development.
The Yemeni government also announced today that it had reached a "near-complete" agreement with the Houthi militia to release 2,900 prisoners and detainees from both sides, during the tenth round of negotiations held over a period of 12 days in the Omani capital, Muscat, in the presence of the UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg. (end) as.onm