UAE praises Trump for 'vetoing end to Yemen war'

The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia's main partner in the Arab coalition leading a brutal intervention in Yemen, has praised US President Donald Trump's decision to veto a bill passed by Congress to end the US role in the war.

In a break with the president, Congress voted for the first time earlier this month to invoke the War Powers Resolution to try to stop US involvement in a foreign conflict.

"President Trump’s assertion of support to the Arab Coalition in Yemen is a positive signal of US resolve towards America’s allies. Common strategic interests are best served with this clear commitment," UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash tweeted late on Tuesday. 

"President Trump’s important decision is both timely and strategic," he added, appearing to take sides in US domestic politics pitting Trump against a large number of bipartisan lawmakers opposed to the US involvement in the devastating war.

Congress has grown uneasy with Trump's close relationship with Saudi Arabia as he tries to further isolate Iran, a regional rival.

Many lawmakers also criticised the president for not condemning Saudi Arabia for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi who lived in the United States and had written critically about the kingdom.

Khashoggi went into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October and never came out. Intelligence agencies said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was complicit in the killing.

The US provides billions of dollars of arms to the Saudi-led coalition fighting against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen.

Members of Congress have expressed concern about the thousands of civilians killed in coalition airstrikes since the conflict began in 2014.

The fighting in the Arab world's poorest country also has left millions suffering from food and medical care shortages and has pushed the country to the brink of famine.

House approval of the resolution came earlier this month on a 247-175 vote. The Senate vote last month was 54-46.

Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, voted to end US military assistance to the war, saying the humanitarian crisis in Yemen triggered "demands moral leadership".

With agencies. Follow us on Twitter: @The_NewArab