Saudi Arabia promised to provide “a suitable environment for dialogue,” calling on “all southern factions to participate in a conference to develop a comprehensive vision for just solutions.”
Rashad al-Alimi, head of the Saudi-backed Yemeni Presidency Council, has asked Saudi Arabia to hold a peace conference in Riyadh for all groups involved in the recent outbreak of violence in southern Yemen, Yemeni state news agency Saba News Agency reported early Saturday morning.
Saudi Arabia welcomed the request in a statement released by the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry, saying the only way to resolve the issue is conflict “through dialogue towards a comprehensive political solution in Yemen.”
The ministry stressed the importance of “developing close relations between the two brotherly countries” and continuing Saudi Arabia’s efforts “to support and strengthen security and stability of the Republic of Yemen“
Saudi Arabia promised to provide “a suitable environment for dialogue,” calling on “all southern factions to actively participate in the conference to develop a comprehensive vision for just solutions.”
Attempts by Saudi Arabia to regain the conquered territories of the STC
Late Friday evening, Saudi Arabia carried out a series of strikes about United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces in Hadhramaut province in southern Yemen, Saba reported.
The strikes targeted the camp of the 37th Division, the report said.
Saudi Arabia also carried out strikes on other sites recently captured by STC forces that were previously controlled by the Saudi-backed Yemeni coalition, with Saudi-backed Yemeni forces additionally retaking a major military base on Friday.
The Saudi-backed governor of Hadramout, Salem Ahmed Saeed al-Khunbashi, announced the return of Hadramout's largest and most important military base, Camp Al-Hasha, after earlier saying his forces were launching what he called a “peaceful” operation.
On Tuesday, Saudi-backed Yemeni forces struck two ships suspected of delivering weapons to STC troops in the Yemeni port city of Mukalla.
The STC captured parts of southern Yemen in early December, pushing the Saudi-backed Yemeni government coalition out of parts of Hadhramaut and sparking new conflict in the region.
Seth J. Frantzman and Reuters contributed to this report.
