South Yemen Separatists Thank Saudi, UAE Peace Efforts In Mediating Agreement With Gov't

South Yemen Separatists Thank Saudi, UAE Peace Efforts in Mediating Agreement With Gov't

The Yemeni Southern Transitional Council (STC) expresses its gratitude and appreciates Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates leadership's efforts in helping to negotiate a peace agreement with the government forces, Nasser al-Khabji, an STC senior official, told Sputnik on Thursday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th November, 2019) The Yemeni Southern Transitional Council (STC) expresses its gratitude and appreciates Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates leadership's efforts in helping to negotiate a peace agreement with the government forces, Nasser al-Khabji, an STC senior official, told Sputnik on Thursday.

On Tuesday, the Yemeni government and the STC signed in Riyadh an agreement that stipulates the return of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi's government to the port city of Aden, which was seized by STC forces in August, unifies the two sides' fighters under a central command and establishes a power-sharing government. The deal was sealed in the presence of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Hadi and STC President Aidarus Zoubaidi also attended the signing ceremony.

"We express our gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its wise leadership, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Deputy Prime Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman," al-Khabji said, while also expressing gratitude to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed for his "huge efforts in ensuring stability and supporting the southern forces to protect the South from pro-Iranian Houthi plans."

Al-Khabji stressed that the separatist's aspirations of the southern forces restoring sovereignty over the region would not end with interim understandings, "as it is related to the fate of the people and their homeland, and caused by a grave mistake to implement the disastrous Yemeni unity project, which affects the whole region, its security and stability."

The Yemeni government and the STC have been opposing the Iran-backed Houthi movement with the support of the Arab coalition since 2015.

On May 22, 1990, Yemen was unified to form the current Republic of Yemen when the area of South Yemen, also known as the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, was joined with North Yemen, which was also called the Yemen Arab Republic, with Sanaa as the capital of the new state.