South24 (Aden)

The STC, in South Yemen, announced that the first stage of the “Southern National Dialogue” will kick off in mid August.

An informed source told “South24” that the dialogue will possibly be held in the Egyptian capital city of Cairo, before being moved to several Arab and world capitals.

The STC has not yet announced the location of the dialogue.

Ahmed Bin Farid, the Vice Chairman of the Southern National Dialogue Committee, which was established by the STC’s President at the end of June, announced that the “dialogue will be comprehensive and won’t exclude any one in South Yemen”.

On Friday, he tweeted that “following extended discussions with different STC’s circles and General Secretariat bodies, about the plane delivered by the assigned dialogue team, a decision has been made that the first phase of the dialogue will kick off in mid August”. 

The STC seeks to arrange local popular ranks, and coordinates with the active southern parties in the face of the political challenges regarding the future of South Yemen.

Widespread Reaction

The source told “South24” that the dialogue plan is based on several formats to include all southern forces and parties, whether those who support South Yemen’s independence or who don’t believe in that.

The Source didn’t reveal the identities of parties or bodies which will participate in the first stage of the dialogue.

The source noted that there are external sovereign parties which “mobilized their efforts to thwart the Committee attempts”, and tried, in vain, to affect some parties.

There are several southern political figures and forces who positively responded to the dialogue calls, and shows their great willingness for this according to the source.

“The Southern National Dialogue Committee does not seek to attract everyone under the STC’ umbrella, but to reach a common framework and denominator in the midst of the challenges it faces” He said, adding that “the destiny of South Yemen should be determined by all its people”.

The STC, which controls most areas in South Yemen, stresses on its commitment to achieve the southerners’ aspirations, including the “establishment of an independent federal state”.

Sowing discord

during past years. External parties played a negative role by affecting the active doers in South Yemen to prevent reaching a common consensus toward the political future of South, according to observers. 

Prominent Yemeni media outlets have seeked to focus on the differences among South Yemen’s parties and to amplify their relevant risks. They have constantly kept reminding of previous political events that occurred in the last century during the South Yemen state.

The government of Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi insists that the South Yemen issue was resolved by the outcome of the so-called “the National Dialogue” in 2013, which was boycotted by the Southerners. However, the results of such dialogue later have led to a devastating ongoing civil war which reached its seventh year in a row.

The Iran-backed Houthis forcibly control the geography that had formed “North Yemen”, while the presence of the KSA-backed fragile government is limited to areas in Marib and east of South Yemen.

Photo: Yemeni President Hadi, STC President Aidarus Al Zoubaidy, Shallal Shaye'a(official)