Riyadh: US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Riyadh Sunday for key talks on regional developments including Yemen in an effort to restore peace in the war-ravaged country.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman received the US’s top diplomat at Yamamah palace where they discussed the latest regional developments. 

Kerry will be in the Saudi capital for two days for wide-ranging consultations with the Saudi and Yemeni leaders.

He is also expected to meet Yemeni government officials to discuss a peace road map.

The US Department of State, however, issued a statement saying,“During his visit, he will discuss regional developments including Yemen, and work with his counterparts on a political settlement to resolve the conflict there.”

A Saudi Foreign Ministry spokesman told Arab News that Kerry will hold talks with Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir.

The spokesman said that Al-Jubeir and Kerry would address a joint press conference on Sunday where they will make a statement on the visit and the significant meeting.

Notably, Kerry during his visit to Jeddah last August presented a plan to restart peace talks in Yemen, which he said was “fair and sensible approach” and had the backing of the Gulf states.

Meanwhile, Abdel-Malek Al-Mekhlafi, Yemeni foreign minister and head of the Yemeni delegation at the peace talks, met the UN’s special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

The minister said the internationally recognized government in Yemen is waiting for the UN envoy to present a new paper conducive to bringing peace in Yemen, outlining a vision in light of remarks presented by the Yemeni government on his previous paper.

He also said that application of the UN Security Council Resolution No 2216 and other related resolutions are the only option to save the Yemeni people from ravages of war and that the Houthi coup plotters should agree to implement them.