UAE applauds military campaign by Yemen ex-president against Houthis

DUBAI, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said Saturday that the recent military campaign of Yemen's former President Ali Abdullah Saleh against the Houthi rebels would benefit the Yemeni people.

"The uprising in Yemen's capital Sanaa is the sign of an awakening of the nightmare," UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Twitter.

Earlier in the day, Saleh urged for talks with the Saudi-led coalition including the UAE forces in order to end the war in Yemen, a move Saudi Arabia welcomed.

The ex-president also called for an end to the "militia's rule on Yemen's land," adding that the Houthis had continued their "provocative acts against Yemeni citizens."

The Saudi-led coalition had been fighting both the Shiite Houthi rebels and Saleh's party in Yemen since March 2015 to support the internationally-recognized government led by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Tensions between the Houthi and Saleh's party rose Wednesday after Saleh's supporters refused access of the Houthis to the Saleh Mosque in the south of Sanaa to secure a religious ceremony to commemorate birthday of Prophet Muhammad.

A statement from Saleh's party called for its loyal armed tribes and supporters to fight against Houthis.

Officials loyal to Saleh began to report that their supporters and fighters had seized control of the state TV stations, airport, camps in the capital.

In response, Houthi chief Abdul-Malek al-Houthi made a surprise speech this morning, calling on Saleh and tribal leaders to intervene to stop the internal bloodshed and reunite the internal ranks to face the "aggression," in reference to the Saudi-led military coalition.

The Houthi chief also accused Saleh of secret collaboration with the leaders of the coalition. Enditem