Yemen's Houthi movement said on Saturday a pause in fighting to last until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan was under discussion with the United Nations to allow for deliveries of humanitarian aid.
Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam said in a post he had met UN special envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed on Friday to discuss the matter, Reuters reported.
A Saudi-led coalition of Arab countries has been bombing Yemen since March 26 in a campaign to restore Yemen's fugitive president Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi to power and repel Houthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The UN envoy is also holding discussions with the pro-Hadi government in Saudi Arabia to push for a pause, sources said.
The European Union said on Friday it supported UN efforts to secure a lasting, predictable and sustainable humanitarian ceasefire and demanded that Saudi-led forces ease restrictions on entry of ships to Yemeni ports.
"The details are still unclear in terms of a starting date and duration of a humanitarian pause; however the special envoy believes that there is ground for optimism that the parties will agree in the coming days," said UN spokesman Ahmad Fawzi.
The US State Department also called on Thursday for a "humanitarian pause" in the conflict during Ramadan to allow international aid groups to deliver urgently needed food, medicine and fuel.
