A Yemeni official revealed that the new round of negotiations over a prisoner swap with the Iran-backed Houthi militias reached an agreement to review and confirm the names of individuals who will be released in the next exchange. They will also hold talks to add more names to the list. The United Nations-sponsored talks had kicked off in Geneva on Saturday. Deputy minister for human rights and member of the government negotiations delegation Majed Fadail told Asharq Al-Awsat that the first Geneva meeting included a Houthi and UN delegation. All sides agreed on the names already listed and that new ones should be added. He stressed that the government is keen on ensuring the success of the negotiations. “I hope the Houthis will be serious about the talks,” he stated. The Geneva meetings had been scheduled prior to last week’s landmark announcement that Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic relations. The agreement may reflect positively on the Geneva meetings and their outsomes, said observers. The meetings will be held over 11 days and efforts are ongoing to add more prisoners held by both warring parties to the exchange list. Last week, UN envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg had urged both parties to “engage in serious and forthcoming discussions to agree on releasing as many detainees as possible,” according to a UN statement. “I urge the parties to fulfill the commitments they made, not just to each other, but also to the thousands of Yemeni families who have been waiting to be reunited with their loved ones for far too long,” he said.