Head of the Riyadh-formed Presidential Council of Yemen, Rashad Al-Alimi, has requested Qatari officials to help in confronting his political opponents in Aden and the southern provinces.
According to political sources familiar with the matter, Al-Alimi complained to a number of Qatari officials in Doha about the deteriorating economic and security situation in Aden, accusing leaders in the UAE-funded Southern Transitional Council (STC) of “seeking to thwart his efforts to normalise security conditions and maintain the unity of Yemen.”
The sources reported that Al-Alimi, at the behest of Sheikh Sultan Al-Arada, called on Qatari officials to provide economic and media support through Al-Jazeera against his STC opponents.
Al-Alimi considered that the statements of the STC’s head, Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, in which he condemned the arrival of Doha within the official delegation, did not represent the positions of Yemenis in general.
The sources pointed out that Al-Alimi hinted to Qatari officials about the actions of the STC, which seeks to disrupt what he called “the benefits of the current phase” of the armistice and peace process.
Political observers attributed the refusal of the head of the STC, which is an official member of the Presidential Council, to go to the Qatari capital Doha as being caused by the fact that they accuse Qatar of supporting terrorist elements in the southern provinces.
