Yemeni government, southern separatists sign deal to end fighting
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Yemeni President Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attended the signing ceremony in the Saudi capital, according to a live broadcast from Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television.
"We hope the agreement will launch a new stage for stability, building and development in Yemen, and the kingdom will be with you," Mohammed bin Salman said at the ceremony.
"This agreement will open wider understandings to reach a political agreement to end the crisis in Yemen," he added.
The deal was signed by Salem al-Khanbashi, Yemen's deputy prime minister, and Nasser Al-Khabji, a representative of the self-styled Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is backed by the UAE.
In August, forces of the STC, a political body pushing for the secession of southern Yemen from the north, overran the southern city of Aden, the seat of the government, after clashes between the sides.
The fighting opened a new front in the years-long war in Yemen, one of the Arab world's poorest countries.
Under the agreement, the government will return to Aden within seven days and a 24-minister government with equal representation from Yemen’s north and south will be formed.
Also, all the military components will be unified under the authority of the Yemeni ministries of interior and defence.
UN Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths congratulated the Yemeni parties on signing the agreement.
In a tweet, Griffiths said the deal is "an important step for our collective efforts to advance a peaceful settlement to the conflict in Yemen."
"Listening to southern stakeholders is important to the political efforts to achieve peace in the country," he added.
The separatists and the government are part of a Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-linked Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The government was forced out of Yemen's capital Sana'a in a devastating power struggle with the Houthis in late 2014.
