Separatists in south Yemen welcome Saudi call for dialogue

Move may signal easing of confrontation between allies Riyadh and the UAE

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tists welcomed on Jan 3 a call for dialogue by Saudi Arabia to end a recent military escalation, a potential sign that an unusually public confrontation between the kingdom and the United Arab Emirates may be easing.

The fast-moving crisis in Yemen has opened a major feud between the two Gulf powers and fractured a coalition of forces - headed by Yemen's internationally recognised government - which is fighting the Iran-backed Houthis.

The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) has for years been part of that government, which controls southern and eastern Yemen and is backed by Gulf states, but in December, STC forces suddenly seized swathes of territory.

The crisis triggered the biggest split in decades between formerly close allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as years of divergence on critical issues came to a head, threatening to upend the regional order.

The STC said in a statement on Jan 3 that the Saudi initiative was a "genuine opportunity for serious dialogue" that could safeguard "the aspirations of the southern people".

The STC's statement came hours after Yemen's Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government said it had retaken control of Mukalla, the key eastern port and capital of Hadramout province, from the southern separatists who seized it in December.