Saleh demands direct talks with Saudi

Yemen’s ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh yesterday denied any alliance between himself and Iran, claiming Saudi used this as an excuse to intervene in the country.

Speaking on his channel Yemen Today to mark the 54^th anniversary of the 26 September revolution, he called for direct dialogue between himself and Saudi Arabia in order to achieve a new deal while attacking the government Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and renouncing its legitimacy.

He added that, prior to the outbreak of the unrest in the country, he had rejected a Saudi offer to form an alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood affiliated Islah party and the Hadi government.