UAE hails Yemen deal as Saudi achievement
Gargash urges Qatar to show ‘wisdom’ in defusing Gulf row
Cairo: A peace accord, signed last week by Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC), is an “appreciated political achievement” by Saudi Arabia, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Gargash said.
“It unifies ranks, consolidates hope and emphasizes the importance of wise diplomacy,” Gargash tweeted.
On Tuesday, the Saudi-brokered pact, formally dubbed the “Riyadh Agreement”, was sealed in the Saudi capital, ending a feud between the Yemeni government and the STC.
Both sides are partners to a military coalition, co-led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, fighting in Yemen against Iran-aligned Al Houthi militia. In August, clashes erupted between Yemeni forces and STC loyalists, triggering a rift in the anti-Al Houthi alliance.
The deal includes forming a 24-strong government equally composed from Yemen’s southern and northern provinces. It also provides for the return of the government to the interim capital in Yemen’s southern city of Aden, which the pro-STC forces seized from the government troops in August.
“Benevolent Saudi efforts engineered this agreement in an appreciated political achievement,” Dr Gargash said.
He, meanwhile, lashed out at the Qatari media for its constant criticism of Saudi Arabia, which is locked in a bitter row with Doha.
“Isn’t it high time for Doha to resort to calmness and wisdom to solve its crisis with its neighbours and sisterly Egypt? There is a vast difference between the positive Saudi act and the negative Qatari fault-finding approach,” Dr Gargash added.
In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt broke off diplomatic and transportation links with Qatar over its support for extremist groups. The quartet has set several conditions to mend ties with Qatar, including the country’s severance of links with militant and terror groups. Doha has refused the conditions, saying they violate its sovereignty.
Kuwait has reportedly launched a new attempt to defuse the dispute after similar efforts crumbled in the past.