The government of Yemen's negotiating team has hinted at a lack of progress in prisoner swap talks with the Houthis in the Omani capital Muscat, under UN auspices.

Majid Fadhail, spokesperson for the government negotiating team, said on Tuesday, July 2nd, 2024, that the talks "are still in their initial stages" and that they have not yet moved to other phases. Despite this, he emphasized that meetings with the Houthis are ongoing and intensive.

Fadhail stated that all consultations are focused on one key point: the complete release of all prisoners and detainees without discrimination, on an "all for all" basis, including the politically disappeared Mohammed Qahtan.

The talks commenced in Muscat on Sunday, June 30th, with delegations from the internationally recognized Yemeni government and the Houthi group, classified as a terrorist organization, aiming to negotiate the exchange of prisoners, detainees, and forcibly disappeared individuals. The talks are facilitated by the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Hours after the talks began, Fadhail wrote on X (formerly Twitter) seen by Barran Press, "We are moving towards the complete release of all detainees on an 'all for all' basis."

Earlier, the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat quoted Fadhail as predicting that the talks would last for about 10 days. He stressed that their "primary" demand is the "complete release of all prisoners and detainees without discrimination on an 'all for all' basis."

"We have clear and explicit directives from our political leadership on this matter," he said. "The government delegation must act responsibly and with full commitment to this humanitarian file. The politically disappeared Mohammed Qahtan must not be excluded in any way and must be at the top of any exchange deal."

At the opening session of the talks on Sunday, the head of the government negotiating team, Yahya Kazzaman, linked the success of the talks to the revelation of Qahtan's fate.

Kazzaman stated that one of their goals is "the release and exchange of politician Mohammed Qahtan," who he described as "a major obstacle that must be resolved before moving to a broader process and closing this humanitarian file by releasing all detainees and abductees held by all parties without exception."

Qahtan is a prominent figure in the Yemeni Islah Party, the country's largest Islamist party, and one of four individuals whom the UN Security Council Resolution 2216 of 2015 called for the Houthis to release.

The Houthis arrested Qahtan from his home in the capital Sana'a on April 5th, 2015, after placing him under house arrest. His family says they do not know his fate or whereabouts, and there has been no contact with him since his detention.

In April 2023, the government and the Houthis carried out the latest prisoner exchange, in which nearly 900 prisoners and detainees were released from both sides, under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN, following negotiations in Switzerland.

The lack of progress in the Muscat talks raises concerns about the prospects for a broader prisoner swap agreement. The stalemate underscores the complexity of the conflict and the deep mistrust between the warring parties.