Saudi Arabia: Overtures from South Yemen

South Yemeni President Abdul Fattah Ismail is due to visit Saudi Arabia shortly, marking an upturn in relations between two countries with diametrically opposed political sympathies. In the present conjuncture of Gulf rivalries, it makes considerable sense for Riyadh to make friendly noises to Aden even though Ismail has signed a 20-year friendship and cooperation treaty with the Soviet Union. There have been persistent reports claiming that Abdul Fattah Ismail, the president of the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen, will visit Saudi Arabia and confer with King Khaled in early December.