Saudi Arabia is being urged to reconcile with the United Arab Emirates over Yemen as the price Riyadh must pay to form a military alliance capable of driving the Houthis back.
Fractured Alliances on the Red Sea
Relations between the UAE and Saudi Arabia in Yemen, where both had backed anti-Houthi forces, plummeted in January this year when a force with which it had been aligned – the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) – was attacked and defeated by Saudi Arabia in a move intended to squash its attempt to recreate a separate southern state. The UAE subsequently effectively quit Yemen.
But the unexpected success in mid September of the Iran-aligned Houthi drive to the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait against pro-government forces has transformed the geopolitics of the region again. The push south defeated the previously UAE-backed National Resistance Forces led by Tareq Saleh, whose front rapidly collapsed.
High-Level Talks in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh
The future role of the UAE in Yemen was discussed at a meeting in Abu Dhabi on Sunday attended by the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, UAE president Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan and a group of other Arab states, including representatives of Saudi Arabia.
A further meeting to discuss Yemen took place on Tuesday in Riyadh between Prince Khalid bin Salman al Saud, the Saudi defence minister, and Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE vice president.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) met United Arab Emirates (UAE) Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Riyadh on Tuesday, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Как сообщает Arab News, наследный принц и Аль Нахайян обсудили «билатеральные отношения и события в регионе», а также рассмотрели отношения между Саудовской Аравией и ОАЭ, добавило издание.
UAE state news agency WAM said Sheikh Mansour would travel to the kingdom in a fraternal visit
upon the extended invitation, without providing further details.
Lightning Houthi Advance Sparks US Urgency
The Houthis, who have controlled Yemen’s capital since 2014, seized the country’s Red Sea coast this month in a lightning advance that routed forces of an internationally recognised government, prompting the head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, to fly to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for urgent consultations, as reported by Axios journalist Barak Ravid citing sources.
Earlier, Axios reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman twice called US President Donald Trump on Thursday, urging him to carry out strikes against the Houthis, but the American leader refused.
The Push for a Southern Buffer Zone
As the Houthis continue their blitz of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, the top diplomat for the secessionist Southern Transitional Council says an independent southern state would serve as a bulwark against the Iran-backed militant group’s expansion.
Как заявил в среду в телефонном интервью из Абу-Даби представитель Южного переходного совета по иностранным делам Амр аль-Бид, «мы по-прежнему считаем, что единственное решение заключается в создании там, на юге, буферной зоны, чтобы гарантировать, что хуситы не распространятся на другие районы».
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