UAE supports Saudi Arabia’s efforts in uniting Yemeni allies

A united Yemeni front is needed to confront Houthi rebels, Dr Anwar Gargash says

Dr Anwar Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, called on the Yemeni government and southern separatists to show flexibility during the negotiations being mediated by Saudi Arabia. The NaShow more

The UAE said on Sunday that it supports Saudi Arabia’s efforts to unite Yemen’s southern separatists and the internationally recognised Yemeni government in combating the Houthi rebels.

Talks between the government and the Southern Transitional Council started last month in Jeddah  as Saudi Arabia pushes to end recent fighting in Yemen's southern provinces.

“We fully support Saudi Arabia's significant efforts in carrying out negotiations in Jeddah to confront the Houthi coup,” Dr Anwar Gargash, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said on Twitter.

The government of Yemen and the STC are allies in the four-year war against the Iran-backed Houthis.

But they recently clashed, waging fierce battles against one another in southern Yemen, including in the port city of Aden.

Dr Gargash believes that a united front is needed in Yemen to combat the Houthi rebels.

It is vital that both sides show flexibility during the negotiations, Dr Gargash said.

He said the outcome must be “cohesive and determined” when confronting the Houthis.

The Arab Coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and including the UAE, intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the Yemeni government in 2014.

Last week, Riyadh said it "positively" viewed a truce proposed by the Houthis, two weeks after the rebels said they were halting drone and missile attacks against the kingdom.

"The truce announced in Yemen is perceived positively by the kingdom, as this is what it has always sought, and hopes it will be implemented effectively," vice defence minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said on Twitter.

The rebels' truce last month came a week after they claimed responsibility for a missile and drone attack against two key Saudi oil facilities.

Iran was blamed for the attacks but Tehran rejected the accusation.

Shortly after the Houthis announced their decision to stop attacks, Saudi Arabia said it would judge the rebels on their "actions and not by their words".