Washington, Asharq Al-Awsat—UN-brokered talks between Yemen’s rivals ended on Friday without reaching a ceasefire deal with Yemen’s exiled Foreign Minister Riyadh Yassin blaming Houthi rebels for stalling progress.

“We really came here with a big hope and still we are optimistic that we will go into a peaceful solution for Yemen under the umbrella of the United Nations. But unfortunately the Houthi delegation did not allow us to really reach all progress as we expected,” Yassin told reporters in Geneva.

The foreign minister said although this round of peace talks was unsuccessful, “it doesn’t mean that we have failed.” He said that efforts to bring peace to Yemen will continue but stopped short of saying whether a fresh round of talks would follow.

Houthi insurgents overran the capital Sana’a last September, prompting Yemen’s internationally recognized President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has launched an aerial campaign against Houthi positions and forces loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen since late March with the aim of restoring Hadi to power.

The “proximity talks” which started in the Swiss city on Monday saw UN Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed shuttling between the two delegations as they both refused to sit together on the same table.

“We didn’t reach a final agreement. We have to be clear and transparent,” Ould Cheikh Ahmed told reporters on Friday. But he added that both sides were largely in favor of reaching a deal that would see Houthis vacate areas under their control in exchange for halting the Saudi-led airstrikes.

Yemen’s government-in-exile has insisted that Houthi rebels withdraw from cities and towns they have seized, but insurgents wanted airstrikes to end first.

The UN envoy expressed optimism over a potential ceasefire deal in Yemen without giving a specific timeframe for when it will be implemented.

“There is no doubt that there is ground for reaching a ceasefire accompanied by withdrawal,” he said, adding, “It is a matter of time.”

Ould Cheikh Ahmed said he will “redouble efforts” to reach a ceasefire soon.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said no date has been set for a second round of talks but added that peace talks can continue without both sides having to meet in Geneva.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed will travel to New York to brief UN Security Council, the UN spokesman said.

Meanwhile, dozens of Houthi militants were reported killed and injured in a string of attacks on the outskirts of Sana’a early on Friday.

Sources said pro-Hadi militants have launched several attacks on Houthi positions in the Bani Matar and Arhab districts of Sana’a governorate.

Similar attacks carried out by mainly civilian volunteers have increased in Sana’a, where the Houthis are in control, in the recent period.

On Friday, it was reported that a deal to allow Houthi militants leave Aden after turning over their heavy weaponry to pro-Hadi forces was being meditated by an unidentified local party.

Around 15 Houthi rebels turned themselves over to the anti-Houthi popular resistance in western Aden last week.

Mohamed Ali Mohsen contributed reporting from Aden.