JEDDAH — Regional alliances as well as international forces have rallied their support for Arab Coalition's call to Yemen's Southern Transitional Council to honor the terms of the Riyadh Agreement and to restore conditions to their previous state in the interim capital Aden. The collation's call comes following the STC's declaration of self-rule in areas it controls. Throwing its behind the Saudi-led coalition forces, the United Arab Emirates opposed the move by the STC and urged full implementation of the Riyadh Agreement UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Twitter that his nation had "absolute confidence" in Saudi Arabia's desire to formalize the power-sharing agreement. "Frustration over delaying implementation of the agreement should not be a reason to unilaterally change the status quo," he said in his tweet. Meanwhile, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also expressed its support to the Arab Coalition. The OIC called for an end to all actions that are in contravention of the Riyadh Agreement. OIC Secretary General Dr. Yusuf Bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen affirmed the importance of implementing Riyadh Agreement, citing the overwhelming support for the agreement in the international community including the United Nations. The OIC secretary general also said that that the Riyadh Agreement aims to unify Yemeni ranks, return state's institutions and counter the threats of terrorism. Dr. Al-Othaimeen also stressed that any action that would escalate the situation and undermine efforts to resolve the Yemeni crisis peacefully must be avoided, calling on Yemeni parties to continue to implement Riyadh Agreement. Secretary General of Gulf Cooperation Council Dr. Naif Al-Hajraf also backed the coalition call, saying that any action contrary to the Riyadh Agreement must be eliminated. He called for accelerating the implementation of the agreement. The secretary general urged the Yemeni parties to give priority to the interests of the Yemeni people, and to unify the ranks to achieve the ultimate objective of restoring the state through the political solution based on the Gulf initiative. In Brussels, European Commission spokesman Peter Stano told reporters on Monday that the EU has taken note of the developments in southern Yemen, which he said undermine the Riyadh Agreement, a key to de-escalation. "What Yemen needs right now is peace," he said, calling on the STC "to implement the provisions that were agreed under the auspices of Saudi Arabia in this agreement." The Yemeni Foreign Ministry also Monday urged the STC to heed the coalition's statement, warning that its "reckless" move "undermined not only the Riyadh Agreement but the peace process in Yemen."
