Saudi-led Coalition Calls For Immediate Return To Riyadh Agreement

RIYADH, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 27th Apr, 2020) The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has emphasised that all parties need to return to the status that existed before the Southern Transitional Council, STC, in Yemen declared an emergency in Aden.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, SPA, the coalition called for an immediate end to "any steps contrary to the Riyadh Agreement," and to "work rapidly" towards ensuring the implementation of the agreement, whilst citing its "wide support by the international community and the United Nations".

The statement carried by SPA noted that the coalition "has and will continue to undertake practical and systematic steps to implement the Riyadh Agreement between the parties to unite Yemeni ranks, restore state institutions and combat the scourge of terrorism."

"The responsibility rests with the signatories to the Agreement to undertake national steps toward implementing its provisions, which were signed and agreed upon with a time matrix for implementation," the statement added.

"The coalition demands an end to any escalatory actions and calls for return to the Agreement by the participating parties, stressing the immediate need for implementation without delay, and the need to prioritise the Yemeni peoples’ interests above all else, as well as working to achieve the stated goals of restoring the state, ending the coup and combatting terrorist organisations.

"The coalition reaffirms its ongoing support to the legitimate Yemeni government, and its support for implementing the Riyadh Agreement, which entails forming a competent government that operate from the interim capital Aden to tackle economic and developmental challenges, in light of natural disasters such as floods, fears of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, and work to provide services to the brotherly people of Yemen," the statement concluded.