Director of GDFA Receives Office Head of the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, in the capital, Aden.

Mr. Mohammed Al-Ghaithi, director of the General Directorate for Foreign Affairs (GDFA) of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), received, in his office, in the capital Aden, on Wednesday, Mr. Peter Rice, head of Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

 At the beginning of the meeting, which was attended by Eng. Mohammed Al-Abadi, Deputy director of GDFA and Mr. Anis Al Sharafi, Head of Political and Planing Affairs in GDFA, Al-Ghaithi welcomed head of the Envoy’s Office, praising the immense efforts exerted by the UN Special Envoy to reach a consensus among the political parties to invoke ceasing the war and bringing peace. 

During the meeting, Mr. Al-Ghaithi reviewed the latest political developments, and the significant outcomes resulted from the consultations sponsored by the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council for the States of the Arab Gulf (GCC) and hosted in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, which led to reform the presidential institution through forming the Presidential Leadership Council that has contained the whole active forces, on the ground, to run the country 

 Al-Ghaithi pointed out that there is a need to reflect such consensus and partnership in job specifications and decisions to avoid any conflicts my occur in determining prerogatives and responsibilities; in the same context, stressing that the partnership in this current stage has no annulment of the political entitlements for any party; foremost of which is the right of southerners to determine their future and political decision.

 Al-Ghaithi reiterated that the STC has continuously been supporting the choice of ceasing the war and bringing peace, and has repeatedly expressed this choice in the various statements on different issues in the national scene, foremost of which is the UN Truce.

The director of the GDFA also reiterated the STC's adherence to all submitted proposals in previous meetings with the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and ambassadors of the countries sponsoring the political process in Yemen, regarding negotiations of the final solution, including importance of Riyadh Agreement, and the need of putting a specific framework to cause of the South in the upcoming negotiations, in accordance with what was agreed upon by all the political parties in Riyadh consultations.

 In context of the meeting, Al Ghaithi touched on the current priorities, foremost of which is finding solutions to economic aspect, providing service to citizens, and ways to ceate a revival to take the country out of its current situation.

 For his part, Mr. Peter Rice praised efforts of the STC in supporting the peace process, and engaging in a real consensus process with the other political parties in a way that enhances exerted efforts to cease the war, and establish a comprehensive and constant peace, Mr. Rice has stressingly attracted the attention to the efforts are currently being exerted to extend the UN truce with the consensus of all parties on the ground, noting that it gives a positive indication on possibility of establishing a complete cease-fire, and provides a suitable atmosphere to prepare for negotiations of the final solution.

 The meeting was attended by Mr. Omar Yaqoub, member of Media Department of the General Secretariat of the STC, and Ms. Hadeel Samir from the office of the UN Special Envoy in the capital, Aden.