By Ahmet Salih Alacaci
WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Donald Trump suggested that he could “easily” bridge tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
“They do indeed have a rift, and we can get it settled very easily,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he returned to Washington, DC, from his South Florida estate of Mar-a-Lago.
However, when asked if he had plans to get involved in the dispute between the two Gulf nations, he said he had none.
The comments come amid tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE over the conflict in Yemen, after Abu Dhabi withdrew its forces following clashes involving the Southern Transitional Council, the main separatist group in the war-torn country.
Riyadh accused the UAE of backing separatist advances near the Saudi border, a claim Abu Dhabi denied.
Following the rift, the UAE withdrew all forces from Yemen, ending its mission in the country. The confrontation marked one of the most serious rifts within Yemen’s anti-Houthi camp in years.