The Presidium of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) held its periodic meeting today, Thursday, chaired by Mr. Ali Abdullah Al-Kathiri, Acting President of the STC and Chairman of the National Assembly, in the presence of the STC's ministers in the government and heads of the auxiliary bodies.

At the beginning of its meeting, the presidium applauded the steadfastness and patience of the people of the South and their valiant armed forces on the memory of Land Day, July 7th, reaffirming that the Southern will and determination have turned the anniversary of the fall of the South under the yoke of the oppressive military occupation in 1994 into a glorious day of victory with the launch of the peaceful Southern Movement on July 7th, 2007.

The Presidium reiterated the STC's commitment to upholding the sacrifices of the people of the South and the achievements of the Peaceful Southern Movement, with a focus on the goal of liberation, independence, and the restoration and building of a fully sovereign federal state of the South. On this occasion, the Presidium called on the people of the South to firmly stand and coalesce around the STC and its authorized leadership, represented by President Aidarous Qassem Al-Zubaidi, to complete achieving the goals of the revolution and fulfilling its tasks.

The Presidium listened to a briefing by Major General Mutahar Ali Naji, Director of Security in the capital, Aden, on the information obtained according to the results of the fact-finding and investigation into the crime of kidnapping citizen Ali Abdullah Ashaal Al-Jaadani and the measures taken in coordination between Aden and Abyan Security to apprehend the perpetrators.

In this regard, the Presidium strongly condemned the recent abduction of citizen Ashaal and any other acts of kidnapping and lawlessness, emphasizing the need for security services to dedicate all their resources and efforts, in accordance with President Al-Zubaidi's directives, to uncover the fate of Ashaal, apprehend the perpetrators and those involved in this heinous act, and refer them to the prosecution and the judiciary in accordance with the legal procedures followed, so that they can receive their just punishment, regardless of their status or affiliations, as the law and order are above all.

The Presidium has expressed its full support and solidarity with Al-Jaadani family, commending the remarkable display of awareness, unity, and social cohesiveness embodied by the southern community in rallying behind Al-Jaadani and demanding the enforcement of law, the pursuit of justice, the eradication of harmful phenomena plaguing their society, and the thwarting of any attempts to exploit such incidents and crimes for political or regional gain.

The Presidium reviewed the latest political developments and the progress of the ongoing negotiations related to the opening of ports and crossings with Houthi-controlled areas, and discussed the necessary measures to be taken in this regard, based on the recommendations presented by the STC's Negotiations Affairs Unit.

The Presidium reiterated the STC's unwavering stance on the political process in general, emphasizing the importance of placing the cause of the people of the South on a special framework as agreed-upon in the Riyadh consultations, which were sponsored by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), stressing that any attempts to circumvent this framework and pursue alternative options that lack consensus among political forces will compel the STC to reconsider its adherence to the process.

In the same context, the STC reaffirmed its position on the issue of opening roads and crossings with Houthi-controlled areas, emphasized the necessity for such a process to be conducted under UN supervision and in accordance with clear legal procedures to prevent the Houthi militia from exploiting humanitarian considerations to jeopardize security and stability, and further aggravated the economic and service situation in liberated areas.

At the end of its meeting, the Presidium touched on a range of several organizational topics related to the responsibilities and competencies of the STC's various bodies, the status of implementing the tasks assigned in previous meetings by the implementing bodies, identifying the reasons behind the non-implementation of certain tasks, and taking the appropriate measures in this regard.