Foreign
SAUDI Arabia on Friday said the conflict in southern Yemen between the Riyadh-backed government and separatists is “a threat to its security and stability.”
“The kingdom stresses that any attempt to destabilise Yemen is a threat to its security and stability of the region, and [Riyadh] will not hesitate to deal with it firmly,” according to a statement carried by official SPA news agency.
It called on the separatists to cede camps and key institutions they have seized from the government in the city of Aden and urged the two parties to swiftly engage in dialogue in Saudi Arabia.
The separatists linked to the self-styled Southern Transitional Council (STC) and the government is part of a Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels since March 2015.
But in August, the forces of the STC, which is pushing for the secession of Yemen’s south from the north, captured key institutions and the presidential palace in Aden, the seat of the Saudi-backed government.
“There is no alternative to the legitimate government in Yemen and any attempts to create a new reality in Yemen by using force or the threat of force are not accepted,” the kingdom said.
Saudi Arabia has warned that any military escalation or side battles will “benefit only the Houthi militia and other organizations,” referring to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
The Yemeni government was forced out of Yemen’s capital Sana’a in the conflict with the Houthi rebels in late 2014. (dpa/NAN)
– Sept. 6, 2019 @ 12:37 GMT |
Tags: Saudi Arabia: Conflict in southern Yemen ‘threat’ to our security
