Qatar has strongly denied the claims by the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs that it mediated between some Yemeni parties in the past.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the statement which was also carried in the media from the siege nations, reported Gulf Times.

The official stated that the statements were baseless and surprising as they were attributed to an official of the UAE Foreign Ministry, adding that it would have been better to investigate such serious statements that do not serve the interests of the brotherly Yemeni people, according to The Peninsula.

Qatar had been accused of mediation efforts between rebel groups in Yemen amid rebel infighting in the capital Sanaa.

Houthi rebels and loyalists of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh have been battling for control in Sanaa, which they jointly overran in 2014, reported Anadolu Agency.

On Saturday, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash had said Qatar was seeking to mediate between warring rebels in Yemen.