The United Nations envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, Monday called on the differing parties in Yemen to take advantage of the regional and international diplomatic momentum to end the devastating war in the impoverished country.

Griffiths' statements in Sana'a, after meetings with officials in the ranks of the Houthi rebels, seemed positive compared to his announcement at the beginning of this month that the talks did not reach an agreement on a ceasefire.

Griffiths and the US envoy to Yemen, Timothy Lenderking, are shuttling the region to push forward peace efforts in a country mired in war since 2014, where millions of people on the brink of starvation.

"We have proposed several ways to bridge the gap between the two parties (...) and there is an extraordinary amount of diplomatic consensus" to support these proposals, the UN envoy said before leaving Sanaa.

"There is real diplomatic energy that was not there before," he told reporters in the rebel-held capital.

The conflict in Yemen, which erupted in 2014, is witnessing a bloody confrontation between the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and the internationally recognized government backed by a Saudi-led military coalition.

The conflict has left tens of thousands of people dead and pushed nearly 80 percent of the population to rely on relief amid the world's worst humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations. It has also displaced millions of people and left an entire country on the brink of famine.

While the United Nations and the administration of US President Joe Biden are pushing to end the war, the rebels are demanding the opening of Sanaa airport, which has been closed since 2016 by Saudi Arabia, before agreeing to a ceasefire and sitting at the negotiating table.

"All of our proposals included reopening this airport, which we are talking about today," Griffiths said, noting that he had met with rebel leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi and obtained "ideas" from him that he would pass on to the other party.

Briton Martin Griffiths, 69, is expected to leave his post, which he has held since 2018. He was appointed Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs earlier this month.