Sana’a: Yemen’s President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi has demanded talks on the country’s political crisis be moved from Sana’a after he escaped house arrest in the militia-controlled capital, a UN envoy said.
Hadi expressed “reservations about continuing the current negotiations in Sana’a,” the envoy Jamal Bin Omar wrote on his Facebook page, after a telephone conversation between the pair.
The Western-backed leader also “requested they be transferred to a ‘safe place’ to which the parties should agree,” he added.
Hadi fled to the southern city of Aden on Saturday after sneaking out of Sana’a, where he was being held under house arrest by Al Houthi militia that seized control of the capital.
The president renewed his commitment to the political transition process and UN-sponsored talks aimed at finding a solution to the worsening crisis in Yemen, according to Bin Omar.
He also welcomed a United Nations Security Council resolution on February 16 demanding Al Houthis withdraw their forces and refrain from further unilateral actions.
The militiamen have installed a “presidential” council aimed at replacing Hadi.
Hadi tendered his resignation last month under pressure from Al Houthis but it was never approved by parliament.
In his first statement since escaping on Saturday, Hadi labelled Al Houthi takeover as a “coup” and declared all their measures “null and illegitimate”.
At a meeting of governors in Aden on Sunday, he called for restarting the political transition process that stalled after Al Houthis overran Sana’a in September.
The process includes turning the republic into a federation of six regions, a proposal Al Houthis have rejected, saying it divides the country into rich and poor areas.
Yemen, a traditional US ally in the fight against Al Qaida, has descended into chaos since Al Houthis seized Sana’a and pushed to extend their control farther afield.
