UPDATE 1-UN: Yemen warring parties agree preliminary compromise on Hodeidah

Yemen's warring parties have reached a preliminary compromise on how to implement a truce and troop withdrawal accord in the port of Hodeidah, although the deal has not yet been finally agreed, the United Nations said on Thursday.

The United Nations is trying to implement an accord in Hodeidah, the main entry point for most of Yemen's imports, as part of efforts to end a war that has killed tens of thousands and left millions on the brink of starvation. "A preliminary compromise was agreed, pending further consultation by the parties with their respective leaders," the United Nations said in a statement following three days of talks this week aboard a U.N. vessel moored in Hodeidah.

The statement did not give further details of the agreement. A truce in Hodeidah has largely been respected since coming into force a month ago, but skirmishes continue between the Houthi movement and their foes in a Saudi-led coalition fighting to restore the internationally recognized government.

The UN said that both parties gave a "firm commitment to observe and enhance the ceasefire" as an agreement is worked out. During the latest talks the two sides "worked together constructively to resolve outstanding issues related to the mutual redeployment of forces and the opening of humanitarian corridors" but "challenges remain", the statement said.

The talks are expected to reconvene next week to finalize details concerning redeployments, it said. (Reporting by Aziz El Yakoubi; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Frances Kerry)