Khaberni - Today, Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi Defense Minister, described the decision taken by the southern personalities and leaders to dissolve the Southern Transitional Council and all its primary and secondary bodies and agencies as a brave and careful decision focused on the future of the southern cause. It also encourages the participation of other southerners in the Riyadh conference to serve their cause, according to his statements via his account on the X platform.
In a related context, Prince Khalid bin Salman revealed that Riyadh will form a preparatory committee in consultation with southern personalities to prepare for the Southern Dialogue Conference, which will include southern figures from all provinces of the south without exclusion or discrimination. He pointed out that Saudi Arabia will support the conference outcomes to be presented at the comprehensive political solution dialogue table in Yemen.
The dissolution of the Southern Transitional Council with all its bodies, agencies, primary and secondary branches, and the cancellation of all its offices inside and outside Yemen was announced, following a comprehensive review of the recent developments in Hadramout and Mahra provinces, and accompanying escalations and rejection of calming efforts, with serious repercussions for the southern scene.
Prince Khalid bin Salman stated via the X platform: "The southern issue now has a real pathway sponsored by the Kingdom and supported and endorsed by the international community through the Riyadh conference. Through this conference, we seek to gather our southern brothers; to create a comprehensive vision of fair solutions that meet their will and aspirations."
Riyadh considers the southern issue as a just cause that cannot be overlooked in any political settlement. The Kingdom believes that the southern people's issue, with all its components, is an integral part of the outcomes of the Yemeni national dialogue and any upcoming political process. It must be resolved through mutual agreement, a commitment to obligations, and building trust among all Yemenis.
The delegation of the Southern Transitional Council members recently arrived in Riyadh to attend the South-South Dialogue Conference hosted by Saudi Arabia at the request of Dr. Rashad Al Alimi, president of the Presidential Leadership Council. They praised the Saudi commitment to reaching solutions that fulfill the aspirations and will of the southern people in their issued statement.
The executive leadership of the Southern Transitional Council has invited various southern personalities and leaders to engage in the comprehensive Southern Dialogue Conference, hoping that the attendees will reach a vision and a concept for a solution to the issue of the southern people and achieve their aspirations according to their free will, forming an inclusive southern framework.
The announcement of the council's dissolution came after developments in Yemen revealed that the council had become a tool in the hands of Aidarous Al Zubaidi, who faces charges of "grand treason" for exploiting the just southern cause, which led to the marginalization of the real demands of the southern people and weakened the previous gains made through the comprehensive national dialogue outcomes (2014), the Riyadh Agreement (2019), and the power transfer decision (2022).
The leaders affirmed that the dissolution decision reflects the confidence of the southern components in the Saudi Arabian efforts to find a just and sustainable solution to the southern issue, noting that Aidarous Al Zubaidi's departure from Yemen at the height of the escalation is considered abandoning his political responsibilities and shirking the duties towards the cause he claims to represent.
