President Al-Zubaidi Receives UN Special Envoy
SMA NEWS – ADEN THE CAPITAL
President Aidarous Qassem Al-Zubaidi, President of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and Vice-Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), received on Tuesday evening at the headquarters of the STC in the capital, Aden, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Yemen, Mr. Hans Grundberg.
In the beginning of the meeting, President Al-Zubaidi welcomed Mr. Hans Grundberg and his team, stating that their visit to the capital, Aden, and their endeavours to reviving the political process reflect the UN’s keenness to find real solutions to the crisis in the country.
The President listened to a brief explanation from the UN Special Envoy on the gist of the meetings he held with the political parties, the latest developments related to the peace process, and the efforts being made by the UN and regional and international parties in this regard.
Mr. Grundberg affirmed that the UN encourages all parties to engage in efforts for peace and calm, and although he has not yet seen a real solution in the positions of certain political parties and the existence of some complications in the course of talks between the parties, he will continue his endeavours with all actors to push towards finding real foundations for confidence-building, allowing the UN to present a road map or an initiative to ensure a comprehensive ceasefire, paving the way for a comprehensive political process with the participation of all parties.
After that, the meeting discussed a range of issues related to the political process, the proposals submitted by the office of the Envoy in the file of mechanisms for ceasefire and military de-escalation, and the levels included in these proposals, in addition to the ideas that the UN Envoy is working on with the political forces and parties, which include a number of tracks, at the forefront of which are the tracks of the economic and political files.
During the meeting, President Al-Zubaidi reiterated the support of the STC and the PLC for all efforts made by the international community to ceasefire and establish peace in the country and the entire region, calling on the UN to exert more efforts and provide visions and proposals for solutions that accommodate developments and the reality that is being formed on the ground. And to contribute effectively through its humanitarian organizations and teams to saving the country from its deteriorating economic and humanitarian situation.
Furthermore, the president underscored the importance of including the cause of the South in all phases of the political process, starting with the cease-fire phase and the subsequent phases, within its special negotiating framework approved by the Riyadh consultations, as well as the speedy formation of the joint negotiating delegation to assume responsibility for conducting the process of the negotiations since its beginning, and also highlighted in the context that the natural resources of the South are the sovereign prerogative of its people, and they are the ones who can solely determine their fate.
In this regard, Mr. Grundberg expressed his thanks to the STC for supporting the issues being worked on as part of the endeavours to move the political process forward, affirming the centrality of the cause of the South, being present in the comprehensive political process, and looking ahead to hearing the appropriate suggestions that contribute to permanently solving it.
At the end of the meeting, Mr. Grundberg pointed out the need for continued communication between the STC and his office in the capital, Aden, to discuss all developments and issues related to the political process, noting that the UN needs the support of all parties to ensure the success of its work.
The meeting was attended by members of the Presidium of the STC: Major General Kamal Hamshari and office head of the President of the STC, Mr. Mohammad Al-Ghaithi, Head of the Consultation and Reconciliation Commission in the PLC, Dr. Nasser Al-Khubaji, Head of the Political Commission and the Negotiations Affairs Unit, and Dr. Saleh Mohsen Al-Hajj, Director of the General Directorate of Foreign Affairs (GDFA), and Mr. Emad Mohammed, office head of the Vice President of the PLC, and from the UN Office team: Mr. Anthony Michael, military adviser, Ms. April Longley Alley, Special Advisor, Ms. Mai Mulohammad Al-Sheikh, Head of Communications Section, and Ms. Zahraa Ahmed Mohammad, Social Affairs Officer.
