The UN envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh is holding talks with representatives from the Houthi militant group and the General People's Congress the party of the former president in Oman's capital of Muscat, news reports said on Sunday.
The talks come come within a new UN effort to find a political solution to the crisis and then to end the several-months armed conflict in Yemen.
The reports said the talks are being focused on terms put forward by the government including that the Houthi militants adhere to the UN resolution 2216.
The resolution called on the militants to cede power, return military weapons, withdraw from they seized and come back to the political process without conditions.
With support from forces loyal to the former president, the Houthis ousted the government in late 2014 sparking a civil war and, in late March, a Saudi-led Arab military intervention.
The government, which has been staying in and acting from Saudi Arabia, is also demanding that the Houthis agree to a two-week ceasefire which could be expanded and withdrawal from all cities including the capital Sanaa and Saada, their stronghold, the reports said.
Moreover, the government is demanding a UN taskforce be formed to oversee the commitment and adherence of all parties in case a deal was reached with the Houthis, they added.
Representatives for countries including the US and Iran are attending the talks, the reports said, pointing out that these countries are facilitating talks in support of peaceful solutions to the Yemeni crisis.
The talks coincided with ongoing battles between the pro- and anti-government forces and Arab airstrikes targeting the Houthis in a number of Yemeni cities as well as clashes between the Houthi militants and the Saudi army on the border.
The conflict including a blockade by the Arab coalition on all Yemeni sea, land and air ports has left 80% of Yemen's population in need of emergency food and medical aid.