ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and Saudi foreign ministers on Tuesday spoke over the phone and discussed the regional situation, the Pakistani foreign ministry said, amid escalating tensions over Yemen.
The development came hours after Saudi Arabia-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen said it conducted a “limited” airstrike targeting two shipments of smuggled weapons and other military hardware coming from the Emirati port of Fujairah into Mukalla in southern Yemen.
Coalition Forces spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said the weapons and combat vehicles were meant to support the Southern Transitional Council forces, backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in Yemen’s Hadramaut and Al-Mahra “with the aim of fueling the conflict.”
Rashad Al-Alimi, leader of Yemen’s presidential council, on Tuesday announced a 90-day state of emergency, including a 72-hour air, sea and land blockade, and canceled a defense pact with the UAE, the state news agency said, calling for pullout of Emirati troops.
“Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, called Saudi Foreign Minister H.H. Prince Faisal bin Farhan,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
“Both leaders exchanged views on the current regional situation and recent developments.”
Disregarding previous agreements with the Arab Coalition, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) separatist group, launched a sweeping military campaign early in December, seizing the governorates of Hadramaut along the Saudi border and the eastern governorate of Al-Mahra in Yemen’s border with Oman.
STC forces captured the city of Seiyun, including its international airport and the presidential palace. They also took control of the strategic PetroMasila oilfields, which account for a massive portion of Yemen’s remaining oil wealth.
The advance has raised the spectre of the return of South Yemen, a separate state from 1967 to 1990, while dealing a hammer-blow to slow-moving peace negotiations with Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday expressed regret over what it described as pressure by the UAE on STC forces to carry out military operations in Yemen’s Hadramout and Al-Mahra governorates, warning that such actions pose a direct threat to the Kingdom’s national security and regional stability.
In a statement, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the reported moves were inconsistent with the principles of the Arab Coalition that supports the internationally recognized government of Yemen and undermined ongoing efforts to achieve security and stability in the country.
The UAE announced the withdrawal of its remaining counter-terrorism units in Yemen on Tuesday, citing recent developments and concerns over the safety and effectiveness of ongoing operations.
In a statement issued on Tuesday and carried on Emirates News Agency, the UAE Ministry of Defense said the decision was taken voluntarily and in coordination with relevant international partners, ensuring the safety of UAE personnel.
The UAE earlier reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to Saudi Arabia’s security and sovereignty, rejecting any actions that could threaten the Kingdom or undermine regional stability.
Separately, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, along with Dar and other officials, met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, who is on a private visit to the Pakistani city of Rahim Yar Khan following his first official visit to Islamabad earlier this month.
“He (Sharif) stressed upon the need for both sides to actively pursue enhancement in bilateral trade through a quantum jump which will bring it to the desired level,” Sharif’s office said in a statement.
“The two leaders also discussed ways to enhance cooperation in a wide range of areas including IT, energy, mining & minerals, as well as defense cooperation.”
Pakistan has close relations with both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, while Islamabad this year also signed a landmark defense pact with Riyadh, pledging that aggression against one country would be treated as an attack on both.
