RIYADH -- Visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said here Thursday that he backs a proposal by Saudi Arabia to initiate a five-day truce in Yemen for humanitarian relief.
The proposed truce was announced at a joint press conference by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and Kerry.
Airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition on Houthi rebels in Yemen have been going on since late March. More than 1,000 people have been killed and 3,000 injured in the airstrikes and in fierce fighting between the Shiite Houthi group and tribal militia loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Kerry said that if Houthis agree to cease fire, the truce could be renewed.
He urged the Houthis to "use all their influence not to miss this major opportunity to address the needs of the Yemeni people and find a peaceful way forward."
Kerry said Washington supports a Yemeni political conference to be held on May 17 in Riyadh, which was proposed by Yemeni President Abd-Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
Earlier Thursday, Kerry met with in Riyadh, stressing the need for negotiations that cover all segments in Yemen.
Kerry said that the United States will step up efforts to stop the flow of weapons to Yemen in accordance with a United Nations Security Council resolution.
For his part, Adel Al-Jubeir said the date for the truce "will soon be set," adding that "Houthi aggression makes relief work in Yemen very difficult, hence there should be guarantees that Houthis won't break the humanitarian truce."
Kerry, who arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday, also met Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saudi and other senior officials.
Washington had expedited the delivery of weapons, on top of intelligence sharing and daily aerial refueling, in support of the Saudi-led Decisive Storm operation launched on March 26 to help stem advances by Houthi rebels.
