LOC11:14
08:14 GMT
RIYADH, Dec 27 (KUNA) -- Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman Al-Saud said Saturday that, at the request of Yemen's legitimate government, the Kingdom mobilized brotherly nations to join the Coalition to Support Legitimacy through Operations Decisive Storm and Restoring Hope, aiming to restore the Yemeni state's control over all its territory, with the liberation of the southern governorates playing a key role.
In a post on X, he said the Kingdom has treated the Southern Cause as a fair political issue that cannot be ignored or reduced to individuals, or exploited in conflicts that harm its future.
Saudi Arabia brought all Yemeni parties together in the Riyadh Conference to set a clear path toward a comprehensive political settlement, including tackling the Southern Cause, and that the Riyadh Agreement ensured southern participation in power and opened the way for a dialogue-based solution without the use of force, he mentioned.
Saudi Arabia backed the transfer of power, which strengthened southern representation in state institutions and reinforced partnership over exclusion, he pointed out.
The Kingdom provided economic support and development and humanitarian initiatives to ease Yemenis' suffering and help them withstand economic pressures, he added.
He went on to say that Saudi Arabia and coalition partners made sacrifices along with Yemenis to liberate Aden and other areas, underlining these sacrifices were meant to restore land and the state, not fuel new conflicts or serve narrow interests.
Prince Khalid warned that "unfortunate events" since early December in Hadhramaut and Al-Mahrah have divided ranks against the enemy, wasted sacrifices, and harmed the Southern Cause.
He commended southern leaders and groups he said acted wisely to help end the escalation, restore social peace, and keep stable southern areas from being drawn into futile conflicts.
The prince underscored the Southern Cause will remain part of any comprehensive political solution and should be resolved through consensus, honoring commitments, and building trust among Yemenis, not risky moves that benefit only "the enemy of all."
He urged the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to respond to Saudi-Emirati mediation efforts, end the escalation, withdraw its forces from camps in the two governorates, and hand them over peacefully to Dira Al-Watan forces and local authorities. (end)
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