Saudi Arabia and UAE agree to support Trump's Syria and Yemen safe zone plan

In phone calls with US President Donald Trump on Sunday (29 December), the King of Saudi Arabia and the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) affirmed their support for safe zones in Syria and Yemen.

The calls to the two royals came amid chaos in US airports after Trump signed an executive order banning people from certain countries from entering the country, leaving many landing in the country in sudden limbo.

A statement from the White House said that King Salman bin Abd Al-Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia and President Trump "agreed on the importance of strengthening joint efforts to fight the spread of radical Islamic terrorism and also on the importance of working jointly to address challenges to regional peace and stability, including the conflicts in Syria and Yemen.

"The president requested and the King agreed to support safe zones in Syria and Yemen", the statement continued. The king and president also went on to discuss the "destabilising regional activities" of Iran.

Later on Sunday the President held a similar call with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Muhammed bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan of the UAE, with the prince agreeing to support an "initiative" of "safe zones for the refugees displaced by conflict in the region".

The UAE has been part of a Saudi-led coalition to restore the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in Yemen after an insurrection by Houthi fighters thought to be backed by Iran. Most of the parties involved have been accused of serious breaches of international law.

Trump came under yet another barrage of criticism in his infant presidency after signing a law banning people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US. Protesters gathered outside the White House and in airports across the country to demand people be allowed in.