UAE calls for talks to end Aden strife

Abu Dhabi - Sheikh Abdullah called for a responsible and serious dialogue to end the differences.

The UAE has expressed deep concern over the continuation of armed confrontations in Aden, calling for calm, de-escalation and maintaining the security and safety of Yemeni citizens.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has stressed the need for all parties to support the efforts to confront the Houthi militia and other terrorist groups.
Sheikh Abdullah called for a responsible and serious dialogue to end the differences and work on unity in this delicate phase while maintaining security and stability.
He also stressed that the UAE, as an active partner in the Saudi-led Arab coalition, is exerting all efforts to calm and de-escalate the situation in Aden and in urging to rally efforts against the Houthi coup and its repercussions.
Due to the difficult situation, it is important for Martin Griffiths, UN Special Envoy for Yemen, to make all possible efforts to end the escalation in Aden because of its repercussions on the UN efforts aimed at achieving security and stability through the political dialogue, he added.
Meanwhile, agency reports said Yemen's southern separatists have taken effective control of Aden, seat of the internationally recognised government.
The separatists seized control of all government military camps in the southern port city on Saturday, Reuters said quoting officials.
"What is happening in the temporary (government) capital of Aden by the Southern Transitional Council is a coup against institutions of the internationally recognised government," the foreign ministry said in a Twitter post.
Four days of clashes between the separatists and government forces have killed at least nine civilians and more than 20 combatants, according to medical sources. "It is all over, the (Southern Transitional Council) forces are in control of all the military camps," an official in Hadi's government told Reuters.
An AFP report said the separatists had seized the Presidential Palace in Aden. "We took the Maashiq Palace from presidential (guard) forces without a fight," a spokesman from the separatist-dominated Security Belt force told AFP. An eyewitness confirmed that the presidential guard had handed over the palace.
The separatists also took over the house of Interior Minister Ahmed Al Mayssari after he was evacuated with the help of coalition forces, government officials said. 

• UAE
• Abu Dhabi