Int'l Calls for Separatists to Draw Back From Unilateral Acts in Yemen
Arab World
Aden, Riyadh- Asharq Al-Awsat
The United States and China expressed on Tuesday their concerns over the Southern Transitional Council (STC)’s announcement of emergency rule in Aden and all southern governorates. “I am concerned with the recent actions of Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council, including what the STC calls an announcement of ‘self administration’,” US Ambassador to Yemen Christopher Henzel said. Washington said it rejected unilateral steps taken by the STC, adding that the separatists’ actions “only exacerbate instability” in the war-torn country. Henzel said such steps are “especially unhelpful at a time when the country is threatened by COVID-19, and also threaten to complicate the efforts of UN envoy Martin Griffiths to revive political negotiations between the government and the Houthi rebels.” On Sunday, Yemen’s main southern separatist group announced it would establish self-rule in areas under its control, adding it would take charge of Aden’s port and airport and other state institutions such as the central bank. For its part, China said the Riyadh pact is the only right way to solve the south issue in Yemen, calling for the deal's immediate application. "We call for return to immediate implementation of the Riyadh Agreement," the Chinese embassy in Yemen tweeted. It added that the deal was the only correct way to solve the Yemeni south issue, and considers the interests of all the Yemeni people. “Beijing supports political solution for the Yemeni issue, on the basis of the three terms of references,” the embassy said. Six months ago, the STC reached a Saudi-backed power-sharing agreement with the internationally recognized Yemeni government to end infighting that risked opening a new front in Yemen’s war. On Monday, the Saudi-led coalition urged the STC to honor the terms of the Riyadh agreement and share control of Aden with the government. “The Coalition urges an immediate end to any steps contrary to the Riyadh Agreement, and work rapidly toward its implementation,” the statement said. A day later, Bahrain welcomed the announcement of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen. In a statement issued Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry urged an end to any steps contrary to the Riyadh Agreement, calling for the deal to be implemented quickly, being the agreed framework for uniting ranks, restoring state institutions and achieving security and stability in Yemen. It also urged all concerned parties to respond to the Coalition’s call and commit to the agreement so as to preserve the interests of the Yemeni people, maintain as well the unity of Yemen and its stability and territorial integrity. For his part, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi stressed the importance to respect the Riyadh Agreement. He expressed Jordan’s support to the Coalition’s statement to reach a political solution between the two sides. Speaker of the Arab Parliament Dr. Mishaal Bin Fahm Al-Sulami stressed that the situation in Aden should return to its original situation, also calling on all parties to implement the Riyadh pact. Also on Tuesday, Egypt stressed “the importance of adhering to the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement’s provisions regarding the settlement in Yemen,” and warned against “any steps which contradict the Agreement.” In a statement posted on Facebook, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Cairo “welcomed the statement issued today by the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which asserted the importance of adhering to the Riyadh Agreement, working to promptly implement its provisions, and affirming the necessity of restoring the previous state of affairs, in order to prioritize the interests of the brotherly Yemeni people, restoring their country, and confronting terrorist organizations.”
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2258436/intl-calls-separatists-draw-back-unilateral-acts-yemen
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