Saudi Arabia implements Stockholm agreement by release of 200 Houthis

TheSaudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said on Tuesday it has released 200Houthi rebels to advance a UN-brokered deal aimed at ending the war in the Arabworld's poorest country.

Coalitionspokesman Col. Turki al-Malki said in a statement that the move wasaimed at paving the way for a larger and long-delayed prisoner swap agreed uponlast December.

Thecoalition has been battling the Iran-backed Houthis on behalf of Yemen'sinternationally recognised government since 2015.

The prisonerswap was part of a UN-negotiated agreement reached in Sweden, also known as Stockholmagreement last December. The agreement involved a ceasefire in the port ofHodeida, the main passageway for imports and a lifeline for Houthi-controlledareas. The agreement has yet to be fully implemented.