Yemeni parties continued on Sunday to welcome Saudi Arabia's efforts to unite Yemeni ranks to help restore calm and tackle fundamental issues, starting with the southern cause.
Riyadh said it will host a conference on the southern issue.
Deputy head of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Tariq Saleh said that he met in Riyadh with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman to discuss developments in Yemen and means to bolster its stability and the security of the region.
Another deputy head of the PLC, Abdulrahman Abou Zaraa, said that through its call to hold dialogue over the southern issue, Saudi Arabia reflected its deep keenness on supporting peace and stability in Yemen.
The initiative embodies the Kingdom's firm commitment to bolstering comprehensive political solutions based on dialogue and consensus, he added.
Saudi Arabia took the initiative based on its historic responsibility and constructive regional role, he remarked.
The dialogue aims to address the southern issue, meet the legitimate aspirations of the residents of the South and help bolster regional and international security and stability, Abou Zaraa went on to say.
Moreover, the conference is a "historic opportunity" to unify southern ranks, come up with a united stance that reflects the aspirations of southerners and it serves as a platform to find just political solutions related to the South, he stressed.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Dr. Shaya Mohsin Zindani said the dialogue is an opportunity to address pending issues in the South.
It will act as a platform for southerners to come up with a united stance so that they can move from managing the crisis to coming up with a clear policy that includes goals, guarantees and mechanisms, he stated.
He hoped the southerners will seize the opportunity to reach a just and sustainable settlement.
He expressed the legitimate government's deep gratitude to Saudi Arabia for hosting the dialogue, its pivotal role in sponsoring agreements and uniting national ranks, and keenness on averting more conflicts and bloodshed.
The Southern Transitional Council welcomed Saudi Arabia's call to hold the conference, saying the STC believes that dialogue is the only way to address pending political issues, starting with the southern issue and the right of the people to reclaim their state.