Denis Korkodinov – Interview with Alaa Adel Hanash
The Riyadh agreement between the Southern Transitional Council in Yemen and the “government in exile” led by Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi is a central theme in the development of the Yemeni conflict. Formally, an agreement on the separation of powers should serve as the basis for peace negotiations that would lead to an end to the war in Yemen. For this reason, the international community, including the United States and Russia, expressed hope for an early restoration of stability in the region. However, the implementation of the agreements is complicated by the fact that the Yemeni government is boycotting peacekeeping initiatives, the guarantors of which are Saudi Arabia. This gave rise to various rumors in the media that the Riyadh agreement was not in the interests of South Yemen.
Specially for World Geostrategic Insights, we talked about this with Alaa Adel Hanash, editor-in-chief of the Yemeni May 4 newspaper, responsible for reporting for the Al Almana newspaper in the South of Yemen.
1. On November 5, 2019, between Saudi Arabia and the Southern Transitional Council in Riyadh, an agreement was concluded on the separation of powers in order to de-escalate the conflict mainly in Aden, Abyan and Shabwa. Meanwhile, as noted by the sources, the terms of this agreement are not respected by any of the parties. In particular, in Aden a government was not formed in which all the political forces of the South were represented. In addition, the governor and head of the security service of Aden were not appointed. This served as the basis for the President of the Southern Transitional Council, Aydaros al-Zubaydi, to declare on December 1, 2019 that he “is no longer required to comply with the Riyadh Agreement.” Does this mean that the Southern Transitional Council abandons its plans to create an independent South? Can it be argued that the Riyadh Agreement has lost its legal force after the withdrawal of the Southern Transitional Council? Should we expect that the Southern Transitional Council could ever make peace with the Supreme Political Council of Yemen and the Ansar Allah movement?
ALAA ADEL HANASH: Southern Transitional Council has announced its commitment to implement the provisions of the Riyadh Agreement. However, the Yemeni government is trying to disrupt the implementation of the agreement regarding the payment of salaries to military personnel and officials, as well as the implementation of immigration and passport control programs. However, the Yemeni government did nothing to improve the life of the South, while the Southern Transitional Council is making progress in this matter.
The Southern Transitional Council was founded solely to achieve the main goal, which is to “restore a complete southern sovereign state within the borders until May 21, 1990.” And we will never give up on this. The Gulf states, and in particular, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, understand this urgent need of the population of the South. For this, the Riyadh Agreement was signed.
The President of the Southern Transitional Council, Aydaros al-Zubaydi, has never stated that he intends to refuse to fulfill the agreement. Therefore, attempts to assert the opposite are a manifestation of the desire to discredit the South and undermine confidence in our desire to gain independence.
The Southern Transitional Council is the main and important partner of the Arab coalition countries. Under these conditions, it is extremely unwise for us to refuse the agreements reached. Nevertheless, the Yemeni government is significantly slowing down the negotiation process, which creates certain difficulties.
It is unlikely that in the foreseeable future a peace agreement may be concluded between the Southern Transitional Council and the Ansar Allah movement, since we have no common interests.
2. Brian Hook, US Special Representative for Iran in September 2019, stated that Iran “helps” the Ansar Allah movement in Yemen, but does not fully control it. At the same time, the American politician emphasized that the role of Tehran in the Yemen conflict is clearly exaggerated. What do you think about this? Is it fair to say that the Ansar Allah movement, despite the fact that it enjoys the support of Iran, but, nevertheless, independently of it?
ALAA ADEL HANASH: Iran’s role in Yemen is obvious, thanks to the support of the Ansar Allah movement. No one can deny this, as evidenced by the conversations of some Iranian officials about the influence on the fourth Arab capital, by which they mean the city of Sana’a.
The Ansar Allah movement, as well as the Southern Transitional Council, is not a fully independent structure. One way or another, we all rely on international partners who have certain interests in Yemen. At the same time, the influence of the Ansar Allah movement in the South is completely impossible, since the people of the South are not used to obeying the northerners.
3. It should be noted that the Southern Transitional Council does not control the entire South of Yemen. So, in Mahra, there is the Southern Council of National Salvation, which not only strongly opposed the intervention of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in Yemen, but at the time of signing the Riyadh agreement, rejected it, noting that “the agreement gives legitimacy to regional militias.” What is your opinion on this?
ALAA ADEL HANASH: The various groups represented in the South and not affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council are non-viable structures that do not enjoy the support of the local population and political forces. This is a deviation from the path to independence of the South. But, meanwhile, we are ready for dialogue with all organizations that share our goals and are ready to ensure peace on our land.
Image Credit: AFP