STC is ready to form a joint negotiating team with Hadi regime for Peace in Yemen

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) announced, on Sunday, its readiness to form a "joint" delegation with the regime of the Yemeni President, Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, in accordance with the Riyadh Agreement, to participate in the ongoing negotiations to achieve the peace process in Yemen.

The Special Representative of the Southern Transitional Council President, Amr al-Bidh, said after a meeting with the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Mr. Martin Griffiths, In Amman, Jordan, that he conveyed a message from the STC's President.

"The STC supports a comprehensive and inclusive peace process to reach sustainable solutions to achieve security and stability in the region, where international community commitment to it is essential."

"There is a responsibility on the STC to preserve the national goals of the Southern people. Therefore, the task is not limited to participating in negotiations only, but in the preparations to reach them," Al-Bidh said.

I had a meeting with UNSE to Yemen Mr. Martin Griffiths @OSE_Yemen, in which I conveyed the message of the STC President @AidrosAlzubidi on the peace process and explained the following: pic.twitter.com/p53K0pLkUu

— Amr Al-Bidh عمرو البيض (@AmrAlBidh) April 4, 2021

He added "the STC is willing to form a joint delegation with the Hadi regime, in accordance to the Riyadh Agreement."

The Riyadh Agreement, which was signed by the STC and Hadi government in November 2019, included the formation of a joint delegation between the Council and the Hadi government to participate in the comprehensive solution negotiations, sponsored by the UN.

"The tasks of the joint cabinet are limited to providing services and do not represent the STC  in the political track and the peace process," Al-Bidh declared.

Martin Griffiths said on Twitter that he had discussed with Al-Bidh "the ongoing negotiations on the UN plan to reach an agreement covering a nationwide ceasefire."

Up to this point, the STC has not been involved in the ceasefire negotiations led by Griffiths, even after the peace initiative announced by Saudi Arabia on March 22.

The parties in South Yemen affirm that any peace process that does not guarantee the participation of southerners in it will not succeed and will fail. They refer to the failure of the Yemeni National Dialogue Conference in 2013, as well as the negotiations that followed, during the war, between the Houthis and the Yemeni government.