Yemen's Hadi denies Aden secession
Yemeni President says that he had moved to the southern city of Aden to make it a temporary capital, not to declare it an independent state
ADEN, Yemen
Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi said Saturday that he had moved to the southern city of Aden to make it a temporary capital, not to declare it an independent state.
"I feel the struggle of the Yemeni people and I am aware of their desire for security and stability," Hadi said. "It is my duty to bring your legitimate aspiration of building a bright future to fruition," he added in a televised address.
The Yemeni President urged political forces to abide by the terms of the Gulf initiative for solving the crisis in Yemen and the outcome of Yemen's national dialogue and also set a clear timeframe for implementing this outcome.
He warned against the continuation of violence in Yemen, saying this would lead to economic and security disasters that would take away citizens' abilities to live.
Hadi also called for returning arms stolen from his country's army camps.
He called on his country's Shiite Houthi group to return to the pre-Sept. 21 condition, the date of the Houthis' takeover of capital Sanaa.
Last month, Hadi fled to Aden escaping a Houthi-imposed house arrest in Sanaa.
Yemen's Houthis emerged as a formidable political and military force last September when they assumed control of capital Sanaa before establishing control over other parts of the country as well.
Last month, the Houthis issued what they described as a constitutional declaration dissolving parliament and establishing a 551-member transitional council.
The declaration was, however, rejected by most of Yemen's political forces – along with some neighboring Gulf countries – which described it as a "coup against constitutional legitimacy."
Fractious Yemen has remained in a state of turmoil since pro-democracy protests forced autocratic president Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down in 2012 after 33 years in power.