The agreement to extend talks until August 7 capped a day in which United Nations peace envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who requested the extension, offered what he described as a framework for a solution to almost two years of fighting between government forces and the Iran-backed rebels.
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The proposed council would include 10 members – five from each side.
In March of a year ago, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive military campaign aimed at reversing Houthi gains in Yemen and restoring Hadi’s embattled government.
The government delegation’s decision to leave host country Kuwait came after a meeting with Ould Cheikh Ahmed.
Its job will be to “manage state affairs politically, militarily, economically, administratively, socially and in security”, a statement said. GCC states considers such step to be undermining the worldwide community’s efforts to find a political solution through consultations and in accordance with the agreed terms of reference represented in the Gulf initiative, the outputs of the national dialogue and Security Council resolution No 2216, he said.
Earlier on Sunday, Hadi’s government, which operates from the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh, accepted the United Nations proposal under the condition that the rebels withdraw from the capital Sanaa and two other cities they took over in September 2014.
“The Houthi and Saleh declaration today is a message to the world that they are not ready for peace and are not ready to spare Yemen more destruction”, Hadi’s deputy prime minister, Abdel-Aziz Al Jubari, told Dubai-based Al Hadath TV.
The rebels have “missed an opportunity for peace which the Yemeni people needed”, Mikhlafi said on his Twitter account.
“This Huthi-Saleh alliance will never accept any peace deal that does not legitimise their coup”, Mikhlafi said.
They control the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.
“We’ve agreed to the initiative. we are now leaving the territory of the brotherly state of Kuwait but we’re not leaving the talks”, Mekhlafi said while announcing the move.
Prisoners of war will also be freed, as specified by the UN Security Council resolution 2216, the agreement said.
The main stumbling block at the talks in Kuwait has been the form of the government in Sanaa.
The Hadi government backed by Saudi Arabia say that he is the legitimate head of state and should preside over a transitional period in the country. However, the Houthis refused approving the proposal and have insisted on forming a national unity government, according to the media outlet.
Saudi Arabia has said it intervened in the war to try to restore Hadi to power after Houthi forces began advancing on his temporary base in the southern port city of Aden a year ago, and to roll back Houthi gains.
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The negotiations started in April have slowed the nationwide fighting that has killed at least 6,400 people and caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
