Yemen's political parties are edging closer to a deal that would resolve the crisis caused by the Shia Huthi militia seizing power, UN envoy Jamal Benomar has said.
Parties including the powerful Huthis have agreed on the "form of the legislative authority in the interim period", Benomar wrote on his Facebook page late Thursday.
He hailed the preliminary accord as an "important step towards achieving a comprehensive political agreement that would end the current crisis".
The Huthis seized Sanaa in September before tightening their grip and prompting Western-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to offer to resign in protest.
They dissolved parliament and installed a "presidential council" on February 6, sparking security concerns that saw several Arab and Western states close their embassies and evacuate diplomats.
The new deal stipulates that the current parliament dominated by ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh's party would remain in place, while a parallel "People's Transitional Council" would be formed to include "unrepresented components", Benomar said.
Half of the seats in the new council would go to representatives of formerly independent South Yemen, while women and youth groups would get a 30 percent and 20 percent quota respectively.
The two chambers together would form the "national council," the UN envoy said.
"This progress is not an agreement, but is an important breakthrough that paves the way towards a comprehensive agreement," he wrote.