Aden (South24) 

---

Today, the President of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), Major General Aidrous Al-Zubaidi, said that the political process in Yemen must be “comprehensive and unconditional, with clear beginnings, paths, directions and contents.”

Al-Zubaidi’s statements came as he was delivering a speech in the capital, Aden, at a ceremony marking the seventh anniversary of the ‘Aden Historical Declaration’ on May 4, 2017, in which the Southern leader obtained a popular mandate to form the STC.

He said: “The situation requires a political process that does not strengthen one party over another, does not take away anyone’s rights, or determines the ceilings of the solution in advance, and prepares for sustainable solutions to the central issues of the conflict, at the forefront of which is the issue of the people of South.”

The Major General warned that the people of South "have run out of long-standing patience, and can no longer deal with any initiatives that do not place their cause at the forefront of peace efforts," adding, "The commitment of the people of South to the negotiation approach as a basis for resolving their issue does not neglect their readiness for any other options, if necessary."

Al-Zubaidi also said that since the STC's formation, they have come a long way in consolidating their internal presence and conveying the voice of Southerners to regional and international decision-making circles.

Parallel to this speech ceremony in Aden, the STC branches in Shabwa, Hadramout, and other Southern governorates organized public and artistic events.

The ‘Aden Historical Declaration’ is the name given to the iconic statement issued by the STC presidency to a major rally in Aden’s main square on May 4, 2017, authorizing Aidrous Al-Zubaidi to form a political entity that would lead the Southerners’ efforts to restore their independent state.

On May 11 of the same year, the official establishment of the STC was announced, headed by Al-Zubaidi and with the membership of senior leaders of the Southern Revolutionary Movement ‘Hirak’ and the Southern Resistance that fought the Houthis and forces of the former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2015.

The STC considers the declaration a popular reference to draw upon as confirmation of its legitimacy in representing the South Issue. May 4 is also considered a national day in the STC's documentation.