ISTANBUL

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit called on Tuesday for an immediate halt to escalation in Yemen and for pursuing dialogue and peaceful political action to ease tensions in the country.

In a statement, Aboul Gheit expressed deep concern over rapidly unfolding and dangerous developments in Yemen after the takeover of the eastern provinces of Hadramaut and Al-Mahra by the Southern Transitional Council (STC).

He urged all member states of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition in Yemen “to preserve the spirit of Arab solidarity during this sensitive period, exercise restraint and adhere to a unified Arab position in support of Yemeni legitimacy.”

The Arab League chief renewed his condemnation of any military movements aimed at imposing a separatist reality by force on the ground, warning such actions threaten Yemen’s territorial unity and cause serious harm to the southern issue, which he said must be addressed through inclusive dialogue rather than by imposing facts on the ground.

“Separatist tendencies pose not only a danger to Yemen but also a direct threat to Arab national security,” he warned, calling on all Yemeni parties to put national interests first and work to preserve the country’s unity and stability.

The situation has escalated in southern Yemen early this month after the STC took control of Hadramaut and Al-Mahra provinces after clashes with government forces.

On Tuesday, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi cancelled a joint defense pact with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and gave a 24-hour deadline for the UAE forces to withdraw from Yemeni territory.

The move came shortly after the Saudi-led coalition launched a "limited" airstrike targeting two ships linked to the UAE at the Mukalla port in Yemen.

The STC repeatedly claims that successive governments have politically and economically marginalized southern regions and calls for their separation from the north – claims rejected by the Yemeni authorities, as they insist on preserving the country’s territorial unity.