President Al-Zoubaidi Discusses with US Envoy Threats of Houthi Escalation in Red Sea and al-Mandeb Strait

President Aidarous Qassem Al-Zoubaidi, President of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and Vice Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), received on Thursday the US Special Envoy to Yemen, Mr. Tim Lenderking.

The meeting was dedicated to discussing the increasing threats of the Houthi escalation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the piracy of the Iranian-backed militia against commercial ships passing through the international shipping line. In this regard, President Al-Zoubaidi reiterated the STC’s condemnation of those terrorist acts that threaten the security and safety of international navigation and endanger security and peace in the entire region, noting that these hostile acts represent a direct threat to food security, and double the repercussions of the humanitarian crisis caused by its futile war on our people.

In addition to that, the meeting touched on mechanisms to counter the Houthi escalation, and ways to expand cooperation and coordination with brotherly and friendly countries to enhance maritime security and protect shipping lines in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb. In this context, President Al-Zoubaidi affirmed the readiness of the STC and the Southern Armed Forces to play a pivotal role in securing the international corridor side by side with regional and international partners.

In a separate context, the two sides reviewed the latest developments related to the political process aimed at ending the war and bringing about peace to the country, as President Al-Zoubaidi renewed the support of the STC for the efforts exerted by the official brothers in the coalition countries led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the endeavors led by the envoy of the UN Secretary-General to reach a comprehensive solution to end the crisis, stressing the importance of having a serious political process that addresses the central issues causing the conflict, at the forefront of which is the cause of our people in the South.

For his part, the US Special Envoy expressed his thanks and appreciation for the positive positions of President Al-Zoubaidi rejecting the Houthi escalation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb and his position in support of the efforts led by official brothers and friends to bring about peace to the country, highlighting the importance of joint cooperation and coordination to enhance maritime security and protect the international shipping line in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Aden.

The American Special Envoy also renewed the position of the US government in support of the political process led by the UN Special Envoy to end the conflict in the country and its position in support of the cohesiveness and unity of the PLC and the government to lift the country out of its deteriorating economic situation.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Nasser Al-Khubaji, head of the Political Commission (PC) assisting the Presidium of the STC and head of the Negotiations Affairs Unit, and members of the STC Presidium, Mr. Mohammed Al-Ghaithi, Head of the Consultation and Reconciliation Commission (CRC) of the PLC, Mr. Amr Ali Al-Beidh, the Special Representative of the President of the STC, Mr. Imad Mohammad, Office Director of the Vice-President of the PLC, and from the American side, the political advisors to the envoy, Ms. Taylor Gilmore and Mr. Andrew Hall, the political and economic advisor at the US Embassy in Yemen, Mr. Chris Kufels, and the political advisor at the US embassy in Abu Dhabi, Mr. John Ackley.