KUWAIT CITY: Yemen’s government threatened on Tuesday to quit peace talks with Iran-backed rebels, giving the UN envoy a “last chance” to make them comply with UN resolutions. “We have informed the UN special envoy to bring a document signed by the rebels in which they recognise the basic references and UN Security Council resolutions,” Foreign Minister Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi, who heads the government delegation, told a press conference. “If they sign and comply, we will go back to the talks. If they don’t comply, the talks will then have no meaning. They become a waste of time,” Mikhlafi said. He said the document should include a clear acknowledgement by the rebels of UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and of the legitimacy of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and his government. The minister said his team will remain in Kuwait City until the weekend and then take a decision, adding this was a “last chance” for UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed to salvage the talks. “The talks have made no progress” after almost four weeks of negotiations with the Shiite Huthi militia and their allies, he said. The foreign minister’s threat came hours after the government delegation suspended its participation in the UN-brokered negotiations for the second time this month. Mikhlafi said the rebels had repeatedly refused to discuss key issues and insisted on power-sharing first, in violation of UN resolutions. Earlier, Mikhlafi charged on Twitter that the Huthis who control the capital had “torpedoed the talks completely,” by backtracking on commitments. Ould Cheikh Ahmed later said in a statement that the talks “faced some serious challenges today” after the government team suspended participation. He however insisted that “all challenging issues should be addressed at the negotiation table.” “I reiterate that all parties fully recognise UN Security Council resolution 2216 and the issue of legitimacy,” Ould Cheikh Ahmed said. The government wants the Huthis to comply with a Security Council resolution ordering them to pull out of territory they occupied in a 2014 offensive and surrender heavy arms they captured. Ould Cheikh Ahmed said he continued meetings with the rebel delegation on Tuesday. “I am confident that with the goodwill of the parties, we are still in a strong position to be able to bring about a comprehensive settlement to the conflict in Yemen,” he said. The pullout comes two days after the UN envoy said he was optimistic about achieving a peaceful settlement in the war-torn country. The two delegations were on the verge of finalising a deal to release half of the detainees and prisoners they hold before the start of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in early June. The United Nations estimates that more than 6,400 people have been killed and 2.8 million displaced in Yemen since March last year. A major stumbling block at the talks in Kuwait City remains the form of government that would control Yemen in a transitional period. The rebels want to share power with Hadi while his delegation insists he is the legitimate UN-backed head of state.