Senior UAE security official praises ousted Yemeni president

The Deputy Chief of Police in Dubai used his Twitter account to praise the ousted Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Tuesday and criticise the leader of the Houthi militias, it has been reported by Today’s Opinion. According to Dahi Khalfan, the Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi is “clumsy”.

“Ali Abdullah Saleh and his son Ahmed are highly respected individuals in Yemen,” tweeted Khalfan. “I know, some will get angry with me, but this is the truth… No one can run the Yemenis except Abu-Ahmed [Saleh]… Regarding Al-Houthi, he is seen a clumsy by most Yemenis.”

Calling on people to “forget your personal hostility”, the UAE official insisted that Saleh’s son and party have constitutional rights in the forthcoming election. “He [Saleh] has repeatedly said that he would not be a president… [but] look at Yemenis who will vote for their own president.”

Meanwhile, Shaikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the vice-president and prime minister of the UAE, and ruler of Dubai, tweeted: “Work of the Gulf [States] is now heading towards full cooperation and unified efforts that aiming to protect our nations.”

Observers believe that Khalfan’s tweets reflect a difference of opinion with Saudi Arabia, and, when compared with those sent by Shaikh Mohamed, reveal that there is internal conflict within the UAE.