Local Editor
Yemen's ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh declared that he was open to negotiations with Saudi Arabia.
"We have no choice but dialogue," Saleh said at a meeting of his General People's Congress party in the capital Sanaa on Tuesday.
"We are ready to go to Riyadh, Khamis Mushit, Muscat or elsewhere to start dialogue and to reach an understanding," Saleh said.
Saleh however reiterated his rejection of the ousted government led by Abed Rabu Mansour Hadi adding that 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 Wednesday.
The Yemeni leader also said he hoped to "form an alliance with Iran that would serve the interests of Yemen".
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.
Government spokesman Rajeh Badi told AFP Ould Sheikh Ahmed is currently in Riyadh for talks on the Saudis bombardment of Yemen, which has killed over 12,000 people since March 2015.
While Saleh resigned under massive popular pressure in February 2012, he remains highly influential in Yemen. He was succeeded by Hadi, previously his vice-president.
Parts of the army remained loyal to Saleh after his resignation and he solidified his position as a crucial player in 2014 when he forged an alliance with the Huthi Ansarullah movement.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
