Yemeni minister rejects call for dialog among warring sides
The foreign minister for the administration of the Yemeni fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, has dismissed a recent call for peace talks among all sides involved in the conflict in the impoverished country.
Riyadh Yaseen told a news conference in London on Sunday that the request made by former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was “unacceptable” after all the destruction he has caused in the Arab state.
“There can be no place for Saleh in any future political talks,” he said.
Yaseen and Hadi have both sought refuge in Saudi Arabia and have backed the Riyadh’s ongoing airstrikes against Yemen.
On Friday, Saleh urged all warring parties, including the Ansarullah fighters of the Houthi movement and the forces loyal to Hadi, to “return to dialogue,” adding that he was ready to reconcile with all Yemeni political factions.
The 73-year-old former Yemeni leader, who stepped down in February 2012, further called on the army and security forces to come under the control of local authorities in each province.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia pushes ahead with its deadly air raids against neighboring Yemen.
In latest developments, Saudi jets attacked the southwestern Yemeni city of Taizz, targeting the presidential palace, a special forces base, a school, and a security center.
Earlier, two civilians were killed in the northwestern province of Sa’ada.
Saudi warplanes also bombed other parts of Yemen, including the southern port city of Aden as well as the presidential complex in the capital Sana’a.
Saudi Arabia launched the air campaign a on March 26 - without a UN mandate - in a bid to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and to restore power to Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh.
According to latest figures released by the World Health Organization, the death toll from the violence in Yemen since late March has exceeded 1,000.
SSM/NT/AS
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