Hadhramaut Governor Salem Ahmed al-Khanbashi called on Wednesday inhabitants of the governorate who are involved with the Southern Transitional Council to "return home" and join their "brothers in the National Shield Forces".
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he pledged that they will be welcomed in the ranks and that their "affairs will be arranged."
He also confirmed that the United Arab Emirates has started withdrawing its forces from all positions they were stationed at, including Hadhramaut and al-Shabwah.
He said they pulled out from the al-Rayan airport and Balhaf in Shabwah.
The forces had a limited presence in the al-Rabwa and al-Dabba areas in Hadhramaut . Their role was limited to supervising the STC's security support forces, he explained.
Sources confirmed that the UAE started pulling out its forces from Shabwah on Tuesday at the request of Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Chairman Dr. Rashad al-Alimi.
Al-Khanbashi stressed that the only way to resolve the current crisis lies in the withdrawal of the STC from Hadhramaut and Mahra.
"The door is still open and we hope our brothers in the STC will seize the opportunity to avert the eruption of any fighting in Hadhramaut and the rest of the country," he added.
"They should return to where they came from and then we can kick of political dialogue about any future formations without resorting to imposing a status quo by force," he stressed.
Moreover, he underlined the readiness of the National Shield Forces, which are overseen by al-Alimi, to deploy in Hadhramaut and Mahra, in line with the state of emergency that he declared on Tuesday.
An additional 3,000 Hadhramaut residents, who have military experience, are also prepared to support their brothers in the National Shield Forces, al-Khanbashi revealed.
He said that coordination with Saudi Arabia was at its highest levels.
The Kingdom views Hadhramaut and Mahra as part of its "strategic security depth," he went on to say. "Our shared borders stretch over 700 kms, so the security and stability of the two provinces are part of the Kingdom's strategic security."
Saudi Arabia does not want Hadhramaut and Mahra to turn into dangerous hubs that can threaten it, he continued.
Al-Khanbashi added that al-Alimi's orders on Tuesday came at the right time to prevent saboteurs from trying to undermine the situation.
