UAE-backed Yemen separatists arrive in Saudi Arabia for talks

Members of the UAE-backed Yemeni Southern Transitional Council (STC) yesterday arrived in Saudi Arabia to meet with officials, Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported.

According to the London-based newspaper, the convoy headed by the head of the council Aidarous Al-Zubaidi.

The newspaper said that Al-Zubaidi’s deputy Hani Ali Bin Breik was denied entry to the kingdom due to criticism of Saudi Arabia.

This visit came in the wake of a statement issued by the Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen on Sunday criticising the STC over its opposition to allowing the Saudi-backed Yemen Navy carry out its job in guarding Yemen’s southern coast.

In the statement, the Arab coalition said: “The South Yemen Transitional Council prevents the Yemeni navy from carrying out its job and this is causing insecurity in the Gulf of Aden.”

These accusations came hours after a commercial British ship announced it was attacked by pirates off the southern coast of Yemen.

The STC replied: “We will not hand over our coast to the emirs of terrorist groups run by the country.”

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