Yemen’s internationally-recognized government of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi officially denied on Saturday all allegations by media outlets on a clash between Hadi and a senior Emirati official during a meeting reportedly held in Riyadh in the presence of a Saudi prince.
The government said that the event is only being circulated by propagandists “hostile” to the Saudi-led Arab Coalition backing the Aden-based administration.
One of the media outlets that promoted the alleged clash was Qatar’s Al Sharq newspaper’s official website, Iran-based Al-Alam News Network, and other sites funded by Doha and Tehran, run by activists loyal to the Muslim Brotherhood and the Houthi militia.
The Yemeni presidency slammed the reports as fake and as the fabrication of the “imagination of weak souls.”
Presidential sources denied “what was reported about Hadi meeting with an Emirati official in the presence of a Saudi prince (who reports left out his identity) and a few government officials.”
“We are used to the Yemeni Presidency not paying attention to many targeting us both randomly and systematically, but today we are forced to deny these allegations, and reaffirm the brotherly relations we share with the United Arab Emirate,” a presidential statement said.
Another source stressed that the relationship with the UAE is an “integral part of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen.”
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source praised the coalition of Arab countries coming together to end the coup led by Iran-backed Houthi militias and to preserve Yemen’s in Arab national identity.
The fabricated story claims that a discussion between Hadi and an Emirati official took place during an alleged meeting in Riyadh before it developed into a verbal quarrel. The situation escalated when the former attempted to attack the latter, forcing the Saudi prince to intervene to hold them back.
The fabricated news also contains details attributed to a Yemeni government source before being leaked through a local website, widely accepted by electronic platforms and other anti-Arab Coalition websites.
Assistant Foreign Minister for International Development Sultan Al Shamsi meanwhile denied allegations about Saudi differences with the UAE on Yemen.
There have never been differences between them, he stressed.
He instead highlighted how Saudi Arabia and the UAE together covered major relief needs in Yemen this year, worth about $1 billion.
He explained that the Coalition’s success on the field in the war-torn country forces foes to promote non-existent disputes between Saudi Arabia and the UAE over Yemen.
“Our project in Yemen is governed by a plan and vision and is proceeding properly so that Houthi militias will be defeated and the political solution will succeed,” he said.
Shamsi said that the UAE is operating in full coordination with Saudi forces in Yemen.
“Once all Yemeni regions are liberated and return to constitutional governance, the relief, rehabilitation and construction phase will begin.”
