Kerry searching for Yemen peace deal in Saudi Arabia

Senior US official, John Kerry is expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday in a bid to push for peace in Yemen after the UN-brokered talks failed to resolve the ongoing conflict last month.

Kerry is to meet Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and other Gulf ministers, as well as UN Yemen envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed – who has been liasiaing between the warring factions - and Britain's Under Secretary of State for the Middle East Tobias Ellwood.

There is "mounting pressure" from certain groups within the US government to see the war ended as soon as possible, Peter Salisbury, associate fellow at London's Chatham House think tank told AFP.

"However, the Americans are limited in their ability to produce a meaningful political settlement."

The current international approach to the conflict relies heavily on the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216 which demands the withdrawal of Houthi rebels from all the capital Sanaa.

"Demanding that they surrender unconditionally simply isn't going to work and my expectation is that, in a best case scenario, we will see many more months of war," Salisbury said, noting unwillingness by both the internationally recognised government of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and the Houthis to make the necessary concessions for a peace deal.

A diplomatic source in Riyadh who said it is "becoming increasingly clear" that the US administration is concerned by the rising civilian death toll, added he expected a push in Jeddah for new peace talks.

"I'm pretty sure that's what the Saudis want as well," the source said.

The problem is that "there's no clear mechanism" for a way forward, he added.

More than 6,600 people, most of which civilians, have been killed since a Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign against the Houthi rebels in March 2015.

More than 6,600 people, most of which civilians, have been killed since a Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign against the Houthi rebels in March 2015.

Millions of civilians were forced into displacement as the region’s poorest country continues to suffer from a lack of food, clean water and adequate healthcare.

International rights organisations, as well as officials from the UN and western nations have repeatedly urged Saudi Arabia against harming non-combatants in the conflict, as airstrikes continued to pound residential areas, hospitals, schools and markets.

Most recently, the State Department expressed deep concern after 19 people were killed when an air raid hit a hospital supported by the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity on August 15.

Meanwhile, Yemeni diplomatic sources revealed the US wants a deal on Yemen before the end of the year and will insist on the resumption of peace talks.

Negotiations between Yemen’s warring factions ended after the Houthis and forces loyal to their ally, former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, appointed a council to govern Yemen – a move adamantly rejected by the government delegation.

The move directly challenged Hadi's government, which works from Riyadh and Yemen's second city Aden.