With UN and International Attendance, The Second Stage of Southern / Southern Dialogue Starts in Aden
[su_dropcap]O[/su_dropcap]n May 4th, 2019, the second stage of southern / southern dialogue was launched by the southern transitional council. President Aidarous Kassem Al-Zubaidi, president of the southern transitional council, Mr. Marwan Ali, director of UN Envoy to Yemen’s office, representatives of several international organizations and several representatives of political parties, southern components, activists and NGOs attended the launch.
At the opening session, president Al-Zubaidi delivered a speech asserting that the council is open to all parties and all visions as long as these visions are coherent with the expectations and objectives of the southern people represented in freedom, liberation, peace and security.
Addressing participants, Al-Zubaidi said: “When we launched our invitation to this southern dialogue in May 2018, we were sure that your concern about the south and our fair cause will lead you to participate. We were sure that your active participation will lead us to better political conditions and will advance our national cause forward. Today, we are sure that this process will be a national achievement that will be remembered in history. Today, we are preserving the sacrifices of the southern people and protect their gains and achievements to guarantee a safe future for this country, this people and for us all”.
“During the first stage, we took major steps and met several social and political patriotic components. Everyone is carrying the project of the southern sovereign state and restoring full political rights. We heard several opinions and we went to those who couldn’t come to us. We received other components and we approached each other more than ever before. So, let’s maintain this approach through positive participation in the second stage we are launching today. Let’s assert that everyone in the south believes in the significance of dialogue in building national solidarity and lineup that we seek and our southern people demand”, said Al-Zubaidi.
President Al-Zubaidi also asserted the importance of the second stage of the dialogue to communicate with all southern powers and components to face current challenges as these challenges are increasing with more conspiracies against the southern existence, identity, cause and geography. He indicated that Al-Houthis are escalating against the south on all fronts while Zaidi political powers, represented in Al-Houthis and Muslim Brotherhood are making conspiracies that everyone knows well. He also indicated that Muslim Brotherhood, under cover of the legitimacy, stopped fighting in their so-called fronts with Al-Houthis and surrendered their camps and zones neighboring the south to Al-Houthis.
He asserted that such acts present a real threat to the south and the Arab project led by Saudi Arabia and this should motivate everyone to reinforce the interior front and the lineup of the south to achieve the noble objective of restoring the free southern state as quickly as possible.
He added: “Our responsibility is to be at the same level of sacrifices of our heroes with generous backup of our brothers in the Arab Coalition. We should make compromises to reach a unified southern attitude that fulfills the dream of our people and restores the glory and identity of this nation”.
“We are standing, with all our capabilities with the Arab Coalition led by Saudi Arabia and UAE. This is a commitment that we will never fail as it stems from our care for the security, identity, political future and Arabic nature of the region. This will never contradict with our southern national project that reflects the expectations of our southern people”, he said.
Al-Zubaidi reminded attendants saying: “Today, we are in front a political right that demands us to be integrated and politically wise, with full awareness of all unsolved issues and files. We should understand international and regional balances in addition to other factors through which we can support our political situation and guarantee our advance towards active participation in the political process of the current conflict under auspices of UN and countries supporting political process. We should participate in a position that guarantees our ability to achieve our legitimate goals through influencing our national will”.
At the end of his speech, Al-Zubaidi wished luck for all participants saying: “Our country expects a lot from you. our people depend on you. so, assume your responsibilities”.
General Ahmed Said Ben Brik, chairman of the Southern National Assembly and head of the dialogue commission, opened the session with a speech indicating that the south is passing critical conditions and serious consequences amid a complex political scene that necessitates to open the doors to dialogue among all the southern components with various visions inside and outside the south to unify the political discourse under one political leadership that may lead the southern people towards restoring our southern state.
He demanded everyone to work on achieving the goal of restoring the sovereign southern state and to abandon differences for interest of the major cause.
Diplomats, youth, political parties and southern components delivered their speeches appreciating this step as a major step towards strengthening the interior front and asserting that the south is for all its sons.
