Head of Yemen’s STC set to visit Saudi Arabia for talks: Source

By Shukri Hussein and Lina Altawell

RIYADH/ISTANBUL (AA) — Head of Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC) Aidarous al-Zubaidi is expected to visit Saudi Arabia, a council source said Tuesday, as the kingdom continues efforts to launch dialogue among Yemeni parties in the south.

“Zubaidi will lead a delegation to Riyadh to meet with Saudi leadership,” the source told Anadolu, without giving further details.

He said a delegation from the council already departed early Tuesday, and another is set to leave in the evening.

It remains unclear which delegation Zubaidi will join.

The purpose of the visit was not officially announced. The trip follows STC troop withdrawals from Yemen’s eastern provinces of Hadhramaut and al-Mahra.

According to an Anadolu reporter, the southern issue and a proposed dialogue conference to be hosted by Riyadh are expected to be discussed during Zubaidi’s talks with Saudi officials.

On Monday, Hadhramaut Governor Salem al-Khanbashi announced the successful takeover of all military camps in Hadhramaut and Mahra by government forces from STC forces.

Zubaidi’s visit to Riyadh follows the arrival of Presidential Leadership Council members Tareq Mohammed Abdullah Saleh and Abdulrahman al-Mahrami. Both were members in the STC during its takeover of Hadhramaut and Mahra last month.

On Monday, Mahrami, who serves as vice president of the STC, met with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman to discuss developments in Yemen. Saudi authorities did not issue an official statement on the meeting.

On Saturday, Saudi Arabia invited all southern Yemeni factions to take part in a conference it plans to host to develop a comprehensive vision for resolving Yemen’s southern issue.

The invitation came a day after Zubaidi announced a two-year “transitional phase” that would include dialogue with parties in southern Yemen and a “referendum” on the future of the south.

Last week, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) pushed the STC forces to carry out military operations along the kingdom’s southern border in Hadhramaut and Mahra. Abu Dhabi denied the accusation.

The STC says successive Yemeni governments have marginalized southern regions politically and economically and calls for secession. Yemeni authorities reject the claim and reaffirm their commitment to the country’s unity.