Aden (South24) 

In a statement earlier today, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) Presidency warned from compromising the wealth of South Yemen and its "economic and sovereign resources."

The statement said: "We reject any measures aimed at harming South and its sovereign economic resources at a time when the army and security personnel in South are still without salaries."

The statement comes in light of the Omani-mediated Saudi-Houthi talks in Sanaa after the Saudi ambassador arrived in Sanaa on Saturday, accompanied by an Omani delegation.

The Houthis demand that the salaries of fighters and civilians in North Yemen areas that they control be paid from the proceeds of crude oil in South Yemen.

In its statement, the STC also stressed its adherence to independence and the restoration of the state of South Yemen, and said that this constitutes a "strategic goal."

The statement added: "We affirm that South does not seek secession, but rather to restore its usurped state with full sovereignty."

"This is a strategic goal for the people of South that they will not back down from under any circumstances. The two-state solution is the only way to lasting peace," the statement added.