Yemen's Houthis: Saleh's overture to Saudi 'a coup'

Saleh said he was ready to "turn the page" with the Saudi-led coalition on condition Riyadh lifts the blockade [File: Khaled Abdullah/Reuters]

Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh has said he is open to talks with a Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels, in what the fighters called "a coup" against their fragile alliance with the ousted president.

The Saudi-led coalition, consisting of several Arab Sunni states, intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to push back Houthi rebels and Saleh forces and reinstate the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

In October, the coalition imposed a total blockade on the impoverished country after a rebel missile was shot down near Riyadh. Last week, amid international pressure over the suffering of millions of Yemenis, some aid was allowed to enter the country. 

"I call on our brothers in neighbouring countries ... to stop their aggression and lift the blockade ... and we will turn the page," Saleh said in a televised speech on Saturday.
"We vow to our brothers and neighbours that, after a ceasefire is in place and the blockade is lifted ... we will hold dialogue directly through the legitimate authority represented by our parliament," added Saleh.
A Houthi spokesman was quick to denounce Saleh's comments, accusing the former president of staging a "coup".
"Saleh's speech is a coup against our alliance and partnership ... and exposed the deception of those who claim to stand against aggression," the spokesman said in a statement carried by the rebels' Al Masirah TV.
The tactical alliance between Saleh, who was deposed five years ago, and the Houthis has often appeared fragile with both groups suspicious of each other's ultimate motives and sharing little ideological ground.
The capital Sanaa has been shaken by escalating in-violence this week between supporters of Saleh and the Houthis, with more than 40 fighters killed and residents now fearing a new front in an already devastating war.
The clashes, which started on Wednesday, continues through the week, with witnesses reporting heavy weapons being used in the centre of Sanaa since the early hours of Saturday.
Sanaa residents told Al Jazeera that armed men from Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) attacked Houthi-held government institutions, as clashes continued.
In a statement on Saturday the Saudi-led coalition praised Saleh for "taking the lead" in the conflict.
"The decision by (Saleh's) General People's Congress to take the lead and their choice to side with their people will free Yemen of... militias loyal to Iran," the statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency said.
In response to Saleh's speech, Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi stressed the need for dialogue in another televised appearance in Saturday, and called on Saleh to "be more mature".
However, in a statement, Saleh's party, the GPC, ordered their supporters to defy Houthi's orders and to "defend their homeland, their revolution, and their unity".
The war in Yemen is one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, killing at least 10,000 people and leading to widespread hunger and disease.