Former Yemeni minister and veteran southern politician Abdel Nasser Al-Wali described the meeting of Yemen’s southern leaders in Riyadh for consultations and dialogue on their cause on Sunday as a pivotal moment in its history, calling for the opening created by Saudi Arabia to be channeled into a political process that delivers lasting peace.
Speaking on the Asharq Al-Awsat podcast with Gulf affairs editor Badr Al-Qahtani, Al-Wali said Riyadh was not merely a diplomatic stop, but a place close to the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds, offering a chance to correct past shortcomings in conveying the southern voice.
The veteran Yemeni politician said southerners now faced a “huge opportunity” under Saudi sponsorship, noting that Riyadh had taken the initiative to invite discussions on the issue and “left the matter in our hands.”
He pointed to Saudi Arabia’s role in bringing the parties together without imposing guardianship and in supporting whatever they agree upon without interference.
He said Saudi assurances had been explicit: “The opinion is yours, the decision is yours. We are sponsors and will not impose anything on you. Raise your ceiling to the sky.”
Al-Wali said a message from Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman was clear and direct.
“The southern cause is just, with historical and social dimensions, and the Kingdom will not abandon the people of the south and will stand with their will,” he remarked.
“It is enough for the southern voice to reach Saudi Arabia, and for it to understand the justice of the pain that has accumulated since unification,” he stressed.
On preparations for the Riyadh Conference for Yemeni southern dialogue, Al-Wali said discussions would address the shape of the state and its system “with an open ceiling,” to be decided by consensus without exclusion.
The focus was on restoring the state as a path toward dignity, security, stability, development, and prosperity for people, he went on to say.
“The South has room for everyone. There are no intentions of marginalization or exclusion. Any other projects are not sidelined, but discussed,” he assured.
Al-Wali addressed a message to the southern people, saying: “Trust us. We represent in Riyadh those who authorized us,” in a reference to not compromising the cause or taking decisions that contradict popular will.
In another message, he said: “The Saudis will find from the southerners only what pleases God and pleases them, while preserving the bonds of neighborhood, blood, kinship, and shared interests.”
Turning to the roots of the issue, Al-Wali said Yemeni unity had not been an “invasion” or imposed by force, but a voluntary move toward Sanaa “with open hearts,” in the hope of a larger state, a broader economy, and deeper development.
He said that if the price of stability, calm, and development were Yemen’s return to two states, then it would be better, in his view, to have two neighboring states bound by affection, with flexible and smooth economic and social relations and strong fraternal ties, rather than antagonism that “paralyzed both peoples.”
Outlining his vision for a future state, Al-Wali presented the contours of a “federal southern state” that would grant governorates room to contribute to development, investment, and wealth, with equality in rights and duties and fairness in the distribution of resources so that they reach all who deserve them.
He reiterated the centrality of Saudi Arabia’s role, saying the Kingdom’s weight was “very balanced” regionally and globally, and that its engagement represented a historic opportunity to achieve peace “without it being followed by war.”
Asked how he found Riyadh, Al-Wali replied: “As I have always known it. A country of security and stability. Calm and serenity. Love and peace. You come to it, your soul settles, and you feel reassured.”
“Their promises are sincere and are not broken,” he stressed.
