Aden (South24)

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Today, the founding meeting of the House of Commons of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) was held in the capital, Aden, South Yemen, consisting of four main STC institutions: The Presidency, the Supreme Executive Leadership, the National Assembly, and the Council of Advisors.

According to the official STC website, the newly founded House of Commons is responsible for discussing crucial strategic issues regarding South, and its establishment comes after the completion of the organizational and administrative restructuring of the STC.

At the founding ceremony, STC President Aidrous Al-Zubaidi delivered a speech in which he said that the formation of the House of Commons comes at a “critical moment.”

The founding meeting of the House of Common (STC media)

“Our march to restore and build the federal state of South is an irreversible responsibility. The only path to peace is to return to the two-state situation before 21 May, 1990 (the Yemeni unity declaration date)" he added.

Al-Zubaidi said that the STC will adhere to the approach of the Southern dialogue to overcome differences and strengthen the union between Southerners. He declared, “Our hearts will remain open and our hands will be extended to all factions of our Southern people with their various orientations”.

The Southern leader spoke about the consultative meeting between the political parties in South Yemen, which took place over several days last May in Aden. He said that the "Southern National Pact" is the main reference for their work.

Related: Declaration of the Southern National Pact and the Form of the Next State 

Al-Zubaidi touched on the Houthi escalation in the Red Sea, asserting that their “operations threaten the national and food security of South” and that the Houthi approach "confirms their obstructive approach to all efforts to stop the war and bring peace."

In the final statement, the President’s national mandate was renewed, for Al-Zubaidi to lead the Southerners’ aspirations of achieving independence.

The statement said: “The House of Commons affirms its support for all regional and international peace efforts, stressing the priority of establishing a special negotiating framework for the issue of the people of South in the negotiations of the political process, to ensure the achievement of the desired peace.”

"Any ignoring or deporting the issue of the people of South will not lead to peace. Our people will not accept identification with any neglect of their cause, and will not give up their gains, sacrifices, and great national goals," it added.

“We renew our appreciation for the support of Saudi Arabia and the UAE for their major role in liberating South,” the statement said.

Yesterday, the official STC spokesman, Salem Thabet Al-Awlaqi, told AIC TV that the House of Commons has already set upcoming tasks, including those related to the desired state that the STC is seeking.

He explained: "One of the tasks of the STC's House of Commons is to approve the formation of the National Committee for Drafting the Constitution, and to approve the formation of the Supreme Committee for Elections and Referendum in South."

On 17 December, Aidrous Al-Zubaidi, who is also a member of the Presidential Leadership Council, issued a call for a meeting of the STC's House of Commons. He reconstituted the National Assembly with a total of 371 members.