Saudi Arabia's Vice Minister of Defense; Prince Khalid bin Salman urged all parties in south of Yemen to abide by the Riyadh agreement declared last November. This is after the separatist Southern Transitional Council in Yemen decided it will establish self-rule in the regions under its control.
Prince Khalid said early Monday: "We urge all parties in Aden, South of Yemen, to put the Yemeni people first. Adding to abiding by commitments made in the Riyadh agreement last November. KSA and UAE reaffirm that the agreement represents the only way forward, and we hope parties will observe their commitments."
He added: "During these challenging global times, leaders in Aden must realize their historic responsibility to keep the Yemeni people safe, and more violence will not achieve that. The Riyadh agreement, which is backed by the international community, must be implemented."
The November deal agreed in Riyadh aimed to end the power struggle in south Yemen. The agreement stipulated that the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and other regions in the south join a new national cabinet and place all forces under control of the internationally recognized government.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan; also said: "The Riyadh agreement guarantees political cooperation for the interests of the Yemeni people. It is also backed by the United Nations and the international community. We call for restoring the conditions in Aden as they were before the STC statement and to implement the Riyadh agreement."
The Arab Coalition supporting the legitimate government in Yemen, specifically with Saudi Arabia and the UAE at the forefront, rejected early Monday, any step which violated the Riyadh agreement. It also demanded a stop to any escalatory activities and actions. It stressed the need to restore conditions to their previous state before the STC announcement. Besides, the consequential developments in the interim capital Aden and some southern governorates.
"We in KSA and the UAE strongly believe that the internationally backed Riyadh Agreement guaranteed an opportunity for the brotherly Yemeni people to live in peace. We reject any hostilities that will jeopardize the safety and stability of Yemen."
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Adel al-Jubeir said.
The Southern Transitional Council announced a self-administration rule in the south, as of midnight Saturday; a statement by the STC said early on Sunday.
The STC is part of the Sunni Muslim alliance that intervened in Yemen in March 2015. This is to restore power to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government. But the separatists; who sought self-rule in the south, turned on the government in August and seized its interim seat of Aden.
