Officials: Saudi Arabia pushes for settlement in south Yemen

Yemeni officials say Saudi Arabia is pushing for a settlement between the internationally recognized government and southern separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates.

They said Thursday that officials from Saudi Arabia and the UAE have met separately to agree on a draft agreement before presenting it to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and the Southern Transitional Council, which took control of Hadi’s interim capital of Aden.

Hadi’s government says the separatists must withdraw from its buildings and military camps in Aden before engaging in talks with them.

The officials say Hadi also wants militias of the STC in the southern areas to report to his government, a condition rejected by the STC and the UAE. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.