Aden (South24) 

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The STC President Special Representative for Foreign Affairs, Amr Al-Bidh, welcomed the calls for "the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement and ending the tension in South."

On his Twitter account Saturday, Al-Bidh expressed his appreciation for "the international interest in South," noting that "the stability of South is pivotal for the region’s stability."

He stressed the need to obligate the other party of the Riyadh Agreement "to fully implement the items of the Riyadh Agreement, including providing services and development and to complete  the political, administrative and military aspects of the agreement".

In statements published by Asharq Al-Awsat, the French Ambassador to Yemen, Jean-Marie Safa, expressed his country's concern over the recent developments in South, adding; "The Riyadh Agreement must be fully and comprehensively implemented for the return of the legitimate Yemeni government to Aden, the interim capital, as soon as possible in order to serve the Yemeni people and citizens." 

The Ambassador stressed the need to "stop the escalation of provocative decisions and rhetoric from all sides," stressing "France's strong support for the Riyadh Agreement towards a full and comprehensive political solution under the auspices of the United Nations."

The Chargé d'Affairs of the US Ambassador to Yemen, Cathy Westley, tweeted two days ago, calling for "an end to escalatory rhetoric and actions in Yemen's Southern governorates. Urgeing the parties to return to dialogue" and warning against "those who undermine the security, stability, and unity of Yemen, that they will risk an international censure and exacerbating and prolonging the suffering in Yemen." 

@USEmbassyYemen: A message from Chargé d’Affaires Cathy Westley on the escalation in the southern governorates.

Read More: Seiyun: Thousands of Hadramis Demonstrate to Support the «Independence» of South Yemen

After the US and French statements, the British ambassador to Yemen, Michael Aron, expressed his "concern over the recent escalation in South, which violates the Riyadh Agreement signed between the two parties."

On Friday, he tweeted that "Provocative measures must  end, and the two sides must immediately return to the negotiating table under Saudi mediation to agree on the full implementation of the Riyadh Agreement" 

STC Spokesperson Ali Al-Kathiri, told Asharq Al-Awsat: "We informed our American friends of our response  to Cathy Westley’s statements,  and we appreciate any immediate efforts to end the killing, repression and crimes against civilians in South". "We welcome every call to immediately continue the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement", he added.  

In the same newspaper, the official spokesman of the Yemeni government, Rajeh Badi, accused the STC of "continuous escalation and conducting [peaceful] demonstrations", expressing his appreciation to return to dialogue.

While the people of South demonstrated peacefully on the memory of the North Yemeni Forces’ invasion of the Southern governorates in 1994, Badi, who belongs to the Islamic Islah party, ignored the crackdown against  protesters in Shabwa and Hadramout by pro-Islamists governmental  forces, which led to 6 wounded, and the arrest of at least 43 civilians, including leaders in the STC.

Human rights defenders and activists expressed their fear that the US statements would encourage the Yemeni forces to practice more acts of "repression and violations" against peaceful demonstrators and in general.

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Photo: Main platform for the "Southern Land Day" mass event, Seiyun, South Yemen, 2021 July 8, by Amjad Subaih