Yemenis and rebels headed to Geneva says Egypt blocks flight

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — An official with a Yemeni delegation including Shiite Houthi rebels headed to Geneva for U.N.-led peace talks says the group is stuck in Djibouti because Egyptian authorities will not allow it to land at Cairo airport.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief journalists, said Monday that the plane could not reach Geneva because of the ban.

The group, which also includes members of Yemeni political groups such as the socialists and the party of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a Houthi ally, left Sanaa on Sunday, for the talks.

The head of Egypt's Civil Aviation Authority, Mahmoud Zanaty, said Egypt had not received a request for the plane to land at any of its airports or pass through its airspace.