Mohammad Al Jaber, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Yemen, met officials from Yemen's Southern Transitional Council in Riyadh to discuss the latest arrangements for a conference that his country will host soon.
The delegation arrived in Riyadh days ago. STC chief Aidarous Al Zubaidi was expected to visit the Saudi capital, but the group later said he preferred to stay in Aden.
Mr Al Jaber said of the meeting: “We addressed the arrangements for the Southern Cause Conference, which will be held in Riyadh soon.”
The STC holds three of the eight seats on the ruling Presidential Leadership Council.
Last week, Saudi Arabia said it had accepted a request from Rashad Al Alimi, the chief of the PLC, to hold talks in Riyadh and called on all Yemen's southern factions to join the conference. The STC welcomed the move.
The proposed dialogue is aimed at developing a comprehensive vision for “just solutions” to the southern issue that “fulfil the legitimate aspirations of the southern people”, the Saudi government said.
Yemen stood at a crossroads on Wednesday, after the Saudi-led coalition announced strikes on positions linked to the STC near Aden, alongside the sudden political sidelining of its powerful leader. Mr Al Alimi accused Mr Al Zubaidi of “high treason” and revoked his PLC membership.
Fifteen Yemeni political parties, including the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Al Islah party, the Arab nationalist General People's Congress and the separatist Southern National Coalition, issued a statement supporting Mr Al Alimi's decision.
They said it does not aim “to target a specific or social component or a governorate or region in particular”, and that the Southern issue is a “just cause” that could be resolved through dialogue. They also praised the role of the Giants Brigades led by Abdulrahman Al Mahrami, the vice president of the STC, in securing Aden. Mr Al Mahrami is a member of the STC delegation currently in Riyadh.
Tension increased last month after the STC took control of the Hadhramaut and Mahra governorates from other pro-government forces, effectively consolidating its grip over much of southern Yemen.
Rival factions allied to the government, backed by air strikes from the coalition, have regained control of the two governorates – including the port city of Mukalla in Hadhramaut – over the past week.
Mr Al Jaber criticised Mr Al Zubaidi, saying his actions “harmed the Southern cause and did not serve it, and damaged the unity of the front in confronting the enemies”.
Southern forces trained by the UAE played a decisive role in preventing the Houthis from extending their control into Yemen's south between 2015 and 2018. This enabled the government, which fled the capital Sanaa in 2015, to establish itself in Aden with support from the coalition fighting the rebels.
The UAE, a coalition member, has withdrawn its remaining counterterrorism troops while calling for de-escalation and dialogue.
