Al-Khobaji discusses with British ambassador efforts to prepare for comprehensive political process

SMA NEWS – Riyadh

Dr. Nasser Al-Khobaji, member of the Presidency of the Southern Transitional Council, head of the Negotiations Affairs Unit, received on Thursday, at his residence in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, the British Ambassador of the United Kingdom, Mr. Michael Aaron.

During the meeting, Al-Khobaji praised the efforts and the great role that Britain plays through its role as permanent member of the UN Security Council, and as the pen holder at the United Nations regarding the crisis in Yemen and the South, and its effective efforts to end the crisis and bring peace to the south, Yemen, and the region, praising the ambassador’s great efforts during the last period.

Dr. Al-Khobaji also reviewed the progress made in the consultations to implement the Riyadh Agreement, pointing to the consensus on the need for the prime minister and the government to return to the capital, Aden, and to carry out their tasks stipulated in the Riyadh Agreement, and to continue the discussions of the two parties under the sponsorship of Saudi Arabia to complete the implementation of the agreement.

Dr. Al-Khobaji stressed the need to expedite the procedures for forming the joint negotiating delegation and to stop unilateral moves from the other side, in the context of preparing for the comprehensive political process and creating and building trust factors to serve the success of the political process and not to create obstacles and crises.

Al-Khobaji expressed the gratitude and appreciation of the Southern Transitional Council and the people of the south for the pivotal role played by the Arab coalition led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the active participation of the United Arab Emirates in maintaining security and stability, combating terrorism and confronting challenges and dangers that threaten the security of the south, Yemen and the region, by organizations supported by hostile regional powers aim to destabilize the security and stability of the region, pointing out that the twenty-sixth of March 2015 represented a very important historical turning point in strengthening deterrence strategies and protecting Arab national security undertaken by the Arab coalition countries under the leadership of the King of Firmness and Resolve, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, may Allah protect him.

For his part, the British ambassador affirmed his country’s support for the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to complete the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement, and the efforts of the UN envoy to prepare for the comprehensive political process, praising the efforts of the Southern Transitional Council in combating terrorism, and its positive response to Saudi efforts to implement the agreement, and expressing its condemnation of the treacherous terrorist operations that targeted the Southern forces recently in Abyan.

The meeting was attended by Ali Al-Kathiri, member of the Presidency of the Southern Transitional Council, deputy head of the Negotiations Affairs Unit, and Yahya Ghaleb, member of the negotiating delegation to implement the Riyadh Agreement, and Anis Al-Sharafi, member and rapporteur of the Negotiations Affairs Unit.

Also present were Mr. Ishtiaq Ghafoor, Political Officer at the British Embassy, ​​and Mrs. Rebecca Hudson, Second Political Secretary, Information Officer at the Embassy.