UPDATE - UAE denies accusations of pressuring Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council to fuel tension

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS DETAILS

By Betul Yilmaz and Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday denied accusations of exerting pressure on the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to fuel tension in Yemen in a way that could risk the security of neighboring Saudi Arabia.

In a Foreign Ministry statement, the UAE expressed “its deep regret” over a Saudi statement on its role in the current tension in Yemen.

“The UAE categorically rejects any attempt to implicate the country in tensions among Yemeni parties and strongly denounces allegations that it exerted pressure on, or issued directives to, any Yemeni party to undertake military operations that would undermine the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or target its borders,” it said.

Abu Dhabi reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to Saudi Arabia’s security and stability and its full respect for the country’s sovereignty and national security, and its rejection of any actions that could threaten the security of the kingdom or the wider region.

“The UAE firmly believes that the fraternal and historical relations between the two countries constitute a cornerstone of regional stability, and reaffirms its full coordination with the kingdom.”

Saudi Arabia expressed early Tuesday its disappointment over UAE’s action and pressure on the STC forces to conduct military operations on the southern borders of the kingdom, calling it “a threat to the national security” and “a red line.”

It came after the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen launched a "limited" airstrike targeting two ships linked to the UAE at the Mukalla port in Yemen.

In response, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi cancelled a joint defense pact with the UAE early Tuesday and gave a 24-hour deadline for the UAE forces to withdraw. He also declared a state of emergency for a 90-day period, along with a 72-hour air and land ban on all ports and border crossings.

- De-escalation

The UAE stressed that it has focused on containing the situation in Yemen and supporting de-escalation efforts in Yemen since the start of tension in Yemen’s eastern provinces of Hadramaut and Al-Mahra.

It affirmed that the shipment that arrived at the Mukalla port in Yemen “did not include any weapons, and that the vehicles unloaded were not intended for any Yemeni party, but were shipped for use by UAE forces operating in Yemen.”

“Allegations circulating in this regard do not reflect the nature or purpose of the shipment, and underscore that there was high-level coordination regarding these vehicles between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, along with an agreement that the vehicles would not leave the port. Nevertheless, the UAE was surprised by the targeting of the vehicles at the Port of Mukalla.”

The UAE said its presence in Yemen was at the request of the legitimate Yemeni government and within the framework of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition to support the restoration of legitimacy and combat terrorism.

“The UAE has made significant sacrifices since the launch of Coalition operations and has stood in solidarity with the brotherly Yemeni people at various stages.

The situation has escalated in southern Yemen after the STC took control of Yemen’s eastern provinces of Hadramaut and Al-Mahra early this month after clashes with government forces.

The STC repeatedly claims that successive governments have politically and economically marginalized southern regions and calls for their separation from the north – claims rejected by the Yemeni authorities, as they insist on preserving the country’s territorial unity.