Yemen's ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh has said he is open to negotiations with rival Saudi Arabia, two years into the war between Saleh's Houthi (Ansarallah) allies and the Saudi-backed government, AFP reported Wednesday (May 10th).
"We have no choice but dialogue," Saleh said at a meeting of his General People's Congress party in Sanaa on Tuesday.
"We are ready to go to Riyadh, Khamis Mushayt, Muscat or elsewhere to start dialogue and to reach an understanding," Saleh said.
Saleh however reiterated his rejection of the government of internationally recognised President Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi and said Saudi Arabia would have to find "new leadership".
Members of Saleh's circle have been meeting unofficially with Saudi delegates for weeks in Berlin, a Yemeni government official told AFP on Wednesday.
Saleh, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, has repeatedly said he was open to talks with Saudi Arabia.
But he ruled out mediation by UN special envoy Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed, who aims to resume stalled peace talks by the end of May, accusing him of bias.
Saleh resigned under massive popular pressure in February 2012 and was succeeded by Hadi, previously his vice-president.
Parts of the army remained loyal to Saleh after his resignation. In 2014 he forged an alliance with the Houthis.
