Yemen's leaders meet UK, US and French ambassadors in Riyadh

Aidarous Al Zubeidi reiterated the Southern Transitional Council's 'legitimate political ambitions'

Fighters affiliated with Yemen's Southern Transitional Council in Aden in June last year. AFP

The head and deputy head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) reviewed the current situation in the country in meetings with western ambassadors in Riyadh on Tuesday.

PLC chairman Rashad Al Alimi briefed British ambassador to Yemen Richard Oppenheim on Houthi attacks on oil facilities and "the implications of these attacks on the humanitarian and economic situation" in Yemen.

Mr Oppenheim said the UK supports the government of Yemen and he co-ordination of efforts "to ensure that 2023 is a year of peace for Yemen".

Deputy council head Aidarous Al Zubeidi, meanwhile, met the French and US ambassadors to Yemen in Riyadh on Tuesday.

During the discussions, Mr Al Zubeidi, who also heads the Southern Transitional Council, called for a united front to fight against the Iran-backed Houthis, in accordance with the Riyadh agreement

Mr Al Zubeidi reiterated the STC's "legitimate political ambitions" to restore South Yemen, which united with the rest of the country in 1990, to US ambassador Steven Fagen.

Yemen has been in a state of war since the Houthis took over the capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene on behalf of the government.

A UN-brokered truce broke down in Yemen last October when the Houthis refused to comply with terms that included re-opening roads around the besieged city of Taiz and adhering to regulations on oil imports through the port of Hodeidah.