Updated: Saudi king receives Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, discuss Yemen
Saudi monarchy King Salman bin Abdulaziz
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz received on Monday Abu Dhabi Crown prince, Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the first high-profile visit by an Emirati official since the flare-up of encounters between the Saudi-backed government and Emirati-backed separatists last week.
Saudi media outlets said the king received the crown prince in his Mena palace, west of the kingdom, and “reviewed brotherly relations”, as well as “discussing the situation in Yemen and achieving stability there.
On Saturday, the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council said its forces took control over the presidential palace and all government facilities in the temporary capital in Aden.
Deadly clashes erupted last weekend after southern separatists accused the presidential guards of shooting at mourners of a military commander who was killed earlier by a shelling carried out by the Houthi rebels.
Saudi Arabia and UAE have been leading an Arab coalition since 2015 to back government forces against Houthi rebels who took over the capital, Sanaa and other regions.
But the UAE has reportedly been withdrawing its forces from some regions. Since then, tensions escalated between both government forces and the transitional council, though both have been opposed to Houthis since the start of the Saudi coalition’s war.