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Yemen talks end, to resume on Jan. 14 - government source


    DUBAI (Reuters) - Yemeni peace talks concluded in Switzerland on Sunday without an agreement to end nine months of civil war and foreign intervention, but rival factions will resume negotiations on Jan. 14, a government delegation source told Reuters.

    Analysts believe the latest round of talks represented the best chance yet to end the conflict given months of stalemate in ground combat and the rise of Islamic State militants, who threaten both sides.

    "The first round of Yemeni discussions ended with an agreement for them to be revived ... in Ethiopia on the 14th of January," the source told Reuters.

    A military alliance of mostly Gulf Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia began bombing Yemen's Houthi movement, an ally of Iran, in March to try to restore the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

    The conflict has killed nearly 6,000 people and plunged the impoverished country into a humanitarian crisis.

    It remains unclear whether the two sides have agreed to renew a troubled ceasefire which coincided with the start of the United Nations-backed talks on Dec. 15.

    Though Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have accused each other of many violations of the ceasefire, it did significantly reduce the fighting and allowed for deliveries of small amounts of badly-needed aid to the war zones.

    (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Noah Browning; Editing by Andrew Bolton/Ruth Pitchford)