Al-Zubaidi Sends Messages to All Parties Excluding the Government, saying: The Council Achieved Major Progress and We Warn from Repeating Last January’s Events
First, let’s talk about the current conditions of Adan, the south and the whole country as the war continues.
Well, it is well-known that Adan is still at war with ISIS and Al-Qaeda, in addition to the war of poor services declared by the government that provided us with nothing. For the south, we can say that we achieved major progress in the security and anti-terrorism activities. Nobody can deny that the situation is becoming better since the war started but we still suffer from shortage in services like electric power, fresh water, health care, treatment of the injured, education…etc. These services are rarely found as the government is not functioning well. With major support of UAE, Adan Security forces, backup and support troops and the security belt managed to achieve major progress in their anti-terrorism war. On the other hand, the southern transitional council achieved major progress in introducing the southern cause to the world. Most southern governorates are relatively stable after being liberated from Al-Houthis and we are working on clearing all terrorist arms of the Muslim Brotherhood from the south.
How do you see the future of the south, the southern people and the southern cause?
We are with our southern people in creating the future of the south through real partnership with the international society. We work on establishing the southern cause in the UN, Security Council and every other international body through a negotiating team that will represent the south in any upcoming negotiations.
Adan and other Southern governorates are celebrating the Historic Declaration of Adan and the Establishment of the Southern Transitional Council, what has been achieved? And what are the priorities and upcoming expectations?
On May 3rd, we will celebrate the first anniversary of the Historic Declaration of Adan, and on May 11th, we will celebrate the establishment of the Southern Transitional Council. We assert that we will complete the establishment of all departments of the council in Adan and all other southern governorates. What is left is the parliament and it will be completed soon. We achieved major progress through establishing a communication channel with UN through Mr. Martin Griffith, UN special delegate. We asserted to him the importance of a negotiation team to represent the south in any upcoming negotiations. Our top priority right now is to talk with all southern powers about a unified negotiation team to represent the south in future negotiations.
The southern transitional council is under a fierce media attack.
In your opinion, who is behind this campaign? What are its causes? And does it have any effects on the council?
Muslim Brotherhood are behind the campaign because of the role of the council, the southern resistance, the security belt troops and the Arab Coalition, especially UAE, in fighting terrorism. Muslim Brotherhood finance such campaigns against the council, Hadhramaut Elites, Shabwa Elites and the security belt to exhaust our anti-terrorism activities. It is true that it might create some sort of confusion and disturbance in the street, but this will never affect us. We are going on, under any circumstances, till we reach our desired goal of independence, liberation and restoring the southern state.
You promised that what is after January 30th, 2018, will never be the same as before that date as Ben Daghar’s government will be dismissed, but nothing changed, and the government is in office till that day. Why? Is there an agreement on that? And what is your attitude towards the government?
Our southern people should know that we have an active partner. That is the Arab Coalition that is heavily exists. The government file was delivered to the Arab Coalition under commandership of Saudi Arabia and UAE and they promised that the security commission will find solutions to current issues and problems urgently, and we are waiting. Nothing was agreed upon. The southern transitional council, the Arab Coalition and the government are at the same side against Al-Houthis, and this is not a matter to conflict about. We agreed that the government should improve services. We demanded that president Hady may appoint a technocratic government to fulfill the needs of citizens. We assert that this demand will not be ignored as the southern people will not remain silent against such matters that affect their interests and rights.
What is the secret behind victories achieved by southern troops, with support of the Arab Coalition, especially UAE troops, against terrorist groups? What are the benefits of these victories, currently and in the future? And how are these victories received on the regional and international levels?
The southern people fight with a patriotic sole and real power to restore their state. They are willing to sacrifice their soles to eliminate terrorism. Their goal is to restore a modern, independent, civil and democratic state that is free of terrorism, and be part of the regional and international societies. We are part of the international society that fights terrorism. Terrorism in the south means instability, which in turn will deny us our right to restore our state. This is determined, and the international society will support us through our clear attitude towards terrorism. We promise that we will eliminate terrorism.
Recently, leaders of the southern transitional council met Martin Griffith, UN special delegate to Yemen.
What are the outcomes of that meeting?
Our main purpose is to exist in any upcoming negotiations. We clearly indicated to Mr. Griffith that ignoring the southern cause will never lead to a complete solution for the Yemeni issue, and he understood that well.
What about the inclusive southern conversation with all southern political and social components, its objectives and its outcomes?
We formed a commission headed by Dr. Nasser Al-Khabjy, member of the presidency of the council, so that this commission will be responsible for talking with all southern components, inside and outside the south, about negotiations and who may lead it.
What would you say to the southern people?
To our dear southern brothers, I say: support tolerance and reconciliation. Keep your national unity and social texture. Control your selves as there are powers that want to push again into an ambush like last January. We don’t want that to happen again. We are proud of the struggle of the southern people. We know that God will reward their rightful demands by restoring the southern state. We are grateful to every martyr, every injured, every mother and every father who sacrificed their children for our homeland.
And what would you say to the Arab Coalition, President Hady and the Government?
We are grateful to the Arab Coalition for their true Arab attitudes and vital roles in the war against Al-Houthis. We assert that our long-term strategic project is totally Arab, and we are side by side with Saudi Arabia, UAE and all countries of the coalition. As for president Hady, we remind him of our demands to pay more attention to the southern cause and to appoint a functional government that serves the south and works on solving current crises. As for the government, we have firm position from that government. We don’t send that government any messages and all our messages are to those who are responsible for it.
