Flurry of diplomacy to calm tensions ahead of a return to UN-backed talks Yemeni military says 147 Houthis were killed in last 24 hours despite reports of reduced fighting LONDON: The United Nations’ aid chief called Tuesday for a ceasefire around Hodeidah amid reports that fighting in the Yemeni city had reduced. The appeal came amid a flurry of diplomacy to calm tensions ahead of a return to UN-backed talks to try and end the conflict. Fighting intensified around Hodeidah last week as pro-government troops, supported by the Arab coalition, made advances around the port against the Iran-backed Houthi militia. AP reported that an informal agreement to reduce hostilities in and around Hodeidah had taken hold in the last two days, in what could be a prelude to peace talks. However, nearly 147 Houthi militants were killed and dozens wounded in the last 24 hours during battles with government troops, the Yemeni Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday. The ministry said troops advanced in a number of neighborhoods, securing areas and a school and businesses from the Houthis. Hodeidah, Yemen’s main port, has become the main focus of the conflict, which started in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa. With dire warnings over the humanitarian situation in the county, pressure is growing for a negotiated end to the conflict. The United States has called for a ceasefire and talks on ending the war while Britain has said it is preparing a Security Council draft resolution that would pave the way to peace talks. On Tuesday, Mark Lowcock, the UN’s under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, called for a cessation of hostilities, particularly “around all the infrastructure and facilities on which the aid operation and commercial importers rely.” The UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, welcomed the reduction of clashes and said it was a “crucial step” to prevent further humanitarian suffering. “I am confident that the parties are ready to work on a political solution and am encouraged by the constructive engagement received from all sides,” he said. Sweden is ready to host peace talks as soon as possible to try and negotiate an end to the war in Yemen, Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said on Tuesday. “We are preparing ourselves to, when the parties are ready, welcome them in Sweden,” she said. Wallstrom said she hoped the negotiations could begin this month. UN talks in Geneva to end the war, which has killed nearly 10,000 people, collapsed when the Houthis refused to attend. *With AP and AFP