Riyadh: A leader of Yemen's southern separatist movement told Arab News on Monday that one of the main goals of negotiations to end the country's war is to protect the rights of people there.

All of Yemen's leaders, according to Maj. Gen. Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, president of the Southern Transitional Council and vice president of the Presidential Leadership Council, are closely collaborating with the Arab Coalition and are totally in agreement with the coalition's plan for the country's political process.

As part of new efforts to end Yemen's nine-year war, Saudi officials have been in Sanaa since Sunday for talks with the Iran-backed Houthi militia.

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Mahdi Al-Mashat, the head of the Houthis' supreme political council, was met by a delegation from Saudi Arabia, led by the Kingdom's ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Jaber. A delegation from Oman is also present at the negotiations.

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According to Al-Zubaidi, who spoke to Arab News, "the peace roadmap and negotiations that are scheduled to take place over the coming days will shed light on all issues and concerns of the nation, foremost of which is the case of our people in the south."

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In order to divide southern Yemen from the rest of the nation as it did before 1990, the Southern Transitional Council was established in May 2017. Al-Zubaidi served as the city's governor of Aden in the past.

The executive branch of Yemen's internationally recognised government was established with the creation of the Presidential Leadership Council a year ago.