Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has expressed concern and anger over Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi’s reservations over the new government in Yemen, which is heavily influenced by the UAE, according to an exclusive report published in Yemen Net.
Private sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Hadi asked to meet King Salman to put an end to Emirati influence in his country, according to the Yemeni website.
In a strongly worded letter, the crown prince told Hadi not to forget the support provided by Saudi Arabia for his legitimacy, and advised him not to cross it again, according to the sources.
“Do not exceed your status as a resident,” an infuriated Mohammed bin Salman wrote to Hadi.
“King Salman is dealing with more important issues than Hadi’s complaints. Hadi and his government should deal with the UAE as a main partner in this war, and not to openly accuse it of its legitimate interventions in Yemen,.
The letter also “asked the Yemeni president to direct his government and advisers not to state to the media their resentment of the Emirati role inside southern Yemen, and that they should accept the transitional council a de facto authority, and deal with it on this basis”, according to the report.
The crown prince also expressed anger at Yemeni officials criticising Riyadh’s role in Yemen and at accusations of its collusion with the Emirates in the island of Socotra, which was seized by forces allied to the UAE in June.
The letter was sent earlier this month through the Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Yemen Muhammad al-Jaber, the sources claimed.
Yemen’s president has been residing in Saudi Arabia since fleeing his country in 2015.