Deposed Yemen president Saleh says ‘No choice but dialogue’ with Saudi Arabia



SANAA // Yemen’s ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh claims he is open to negotiations with Saudi Arabia, two years into a deadly war between a Saudi-led coalition backing the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels allied to him.

“We have no choice but dialogue,” Mr Saleh said at a meeting of his General People’s Congress party in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, on Tuesday.

“We are ready to go to Riyadh, Khamis Mushit, Muscat or elsewhere to start dialogue and to reach an understanding,” Mr Saleh added, referring to cities in Saudi Arabia and Oman.

Mr Saleh however reiterated his rejection of the government of internationally recognised Yemeni president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.

Mr Saleh was forced from power in February 2012 after vast Arab Spring protests against more than 20 years of his autocratic rule. But he returned to Yemen and sided with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels who launched a coup against the government of Mr Hadi.

Mr Saleh, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, ruled out mediation by UN special envoy Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed, accusing him of bias. The UN envoy is aiming to resume stalled peace talks by the end of May.

Yemeni government spokesman Rajeh Badi said Mr Ould Sheikh Ahmed is currently in Riyadh for talks on the Yemeni crisis, which the UN estimates has killed more than 7,700 people in since March 2015.

After Mr Saleh lost power, parts of the army remained loyal to him and have provided military muscle for the former president’s alliance with the Houthis.

The rebels currently control Yemen’s capital, the northern region bordering Saudi Arabia and Hodeidah port on the Red Sea coast.

The Hadi’s government is based in Aden.

* Agence France-Presse

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Scotland v Ireland:

Scotland (15-1): Stuart Hogg; Tommy Seymour, Huw Jones, Sam Johnson, Sean Maitland; Finn Russell, Greig Laidlaw (capt); Josh Strauss, James Ritchie, Ryan Wilson; Jonny Gray, Grant Gilchrist; Simon Berghan, Stuart McInally, Allan Dell

Replacements: Fraser Brown, Jamie Bhatti, D'arcy Rae, Ben Toolis, Rob Harley, Ali Price, Pete Horne, Blair Kinghorn

Coach: Gregor Townsend (SCO)

Ireland (15-1): Rob Kearney; Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale; Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack Conan, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony; James Ryan, Quinn Roux; Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best (capt), Cian Healy

Replacements: Sean Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, Ultan Dillane, Josh van der Flier, John Cooney, Joey Carbery, Jordan Larmour

Coach: Joe Schmidt (NZL)

Stage results

1. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep  4:39:05

2. Michael Matthews (AUS) Team BikeExchange 0:00:08

3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma same time 

4. Jack Haig (AUS) Bahrain Victorious s.t  

5. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe s.t  

6. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates s.t 

7. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ s.t

8. Sergio Higuita Garcia (COL) EF Education-Nippo s.t     

9. Bauke Mollema (NED) Trek-Segafredo  s.t

10. Geraint Thomas (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers s.t