The gathering, one of the biggest in Yemen since mass protests in 2011 forced President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down, took place ahead of a ceasefire and UN-sponsored peace talks next month.
Saleh, an ally of the rebel Houthi group, made a rare appearance at the gathering, his first since the war began, offering an olive branch to the coalition.
"We extend a hand of peace, the peace of the brave, for the direct talks with the Saudi regime without a return to the (UN) Security Council, which is incapable of resolving anything," Saleh told the crowd.
The UN envoy announced this week that the warring parties had agreed to a cessation of hostilities starting at midnight on April 10 followed by peace talks in Kuwait from April 18 as part of a fresh push to end the crisis following two rounds of failed talks last year.
The coalition joined the war to try to stop the Houthis from taking control of Yemen and to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power.
The West-backed Hadi had been ousted after Houthi forces took over the capital Sanaa in September 2014.
Foreign forces intervened on the side of fighters loyal to Hadi six months later and are trying to prevent the Houthis and forces loyal to Saleh from taking full control of Yemen.
Despite a year of conflict, the Houthis maintain control of the capital Sanaa, while Hadi loyalists are based in the southern port of Aden.
The year-long fighting has pushed the impoverished country towards a humanitarian disaster, with UN estimating that 80 percent of Yemenis need aid.
aljazeera.com
26/3/16
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