Abu Dhabi Crown Prince holds Yemen talks in Riyadh
Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef received Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed al-Nahyan arrived in Riyadh on Sunday to meet with Saudi defense minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss developments in Yemen, where both countries are taking part in an air campaign targeting Houthi militias.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef received Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed at the Riyadh airbase along with other high-ranking officials.
Delegations of both Emirati and Saudi officials also attended the meeting which also discussed ways to enhance the bilateral relation between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal also welcomed his French counterpart Laurent Fabius in Riyadh on Sunday.
“Concerning Yemen, we are here to demonstrate our support, especially political, to the Saudi authorities,” Fabius told reporters as he began a series of meetings with the Saudi leadership including King Salman.
Fabius reaffirmed to his Saudi hosts that “France is naturally on the side of its regional partners for the restoration of stability in Yemen,” according to his entourage.
Paris, like Riyadh and Washington, considers Hadi as leader of the legitimate government of Yemen, which had supported a United States drone war against al-Qaeda fighters there.
“It will be necessary, at one moment or another, to hold talks” for a political solution, Fabius said.
"How can Iran call for us to stop the fighting in Yemen ... We came to Yemen to help the legitimate authority, and Iran is not in charge of Yemen," Prince Faisal said.
Saudi Arabia and a coalition of regional countries launched a military campaign against the Iran-backed Houthis on March 26, vowing to continue to fight until Yemen is stable and secure again.
Houthi militia overran the capital Sanaa in September and expanded to other parts of Yemen.
Riyadh feared the rebels would take over the entire country and move it into the orbit of Iran, Sunni Saudi Arabia's regional rival.
-
Pakistan minister hits out at UAE over Yemen criticism
‘Pakistan is an honored nation and has brotherly emotions for the people of UAE along with Saudi Arabia,’ interior minister Chaudhry Nisar says Asia -
UAE official slams ‘contradictory’ Pakistan vote
The Pakistani parliament adopted a unanimous resolution on Yemen urging the government to remain 'neutral' Middle East -
UAE FM: Iran is meddling in Yemen and the region
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan said "Operation Decisive Storm" was launched because of the Houthi coup against legitimacy Middle East -
UAE fighter jets launch Yemen airstrikes in honor of Saudi soldier
Sulieman bin Ali Al Harazi Al Maliki was killed in a firefight with Houthi rebels on the Saudi-Yemen border Middle East -
Saudi defense minister meets senior Arab security officials
Prince Mohammed bin Salman met senior security officials from Egypt, Qatar and UAE Middle East -
UAE fighter jets launch airstrikes on Houthi rebels
The UAE has deployed 30 fighter jets for the Saudi-led military operation against the Houthis Middle East