UN sets May 28 as date for Yemen peace talks in Geneva, unclear if Shiite rebels will attend

A Yemeni man, who was stranded in Egypt after conflict broke out in Yemen, prays and kisses the ground after arriving at Sanaa airport, Yemen, Wednesday, May 20, 2015. The airport was opened temporarily as two planes, one from India and one from Egypt, arrived carrying more than 300 Yemeni. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) (The Associated Press)

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A Yemeni man hugs his mother, who was stranded in Egypt after conflict broke out in Yemen, after she arrived at Sanaa airport, Yemen, Wednesday, May 20, 2015. The airport was opened temporarily as two planes, one from India and one from Egypt, arrived carrying more than 300 Yemeni. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) (The Associated Press)

A Yemeni man hugs his mother, who was stranded in Egypt after conflict broke out in Yemen, after arriving at Sanaa airport, Yemen, Wednesday, May 20, 2015. The airport was opened temporarily as two planes, one from India and one from Egypt, arrived carrying more than 300 Yemeni. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) (The Associated Press)

The United Nations has announced peace talks on Yemen's crisis, setting May 28 as the date for the start of negotiations in Geneva.

There was no immediate reaction from the internationally recognized government of Yemeni President Abed-Rabbo Mansour Hadi, now in exile in Saudi Arabia. And it's unclear if the Shiite rebels, known as the Houthis, would attend the talks.

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has urged all parties to engage in the talks "without pre-conditions," stressing the only way to resolve Yemen's conflict is an "inclusive, negotiated political settlement."

Meanwhile, Saudi news site Sabq says the rebels, who have been targeted by a Saudi-led airstrikes campaign since March 26, killed one Saudi soldier in a cross-border assault in the area of Jizan Wednesday.

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Anna reported from the United Nations.

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