The Saudi-brokered peace agreement between the Yemeni government and the pro-independence Southern Transitional Council will hold and will lead to institutional reforms in the government, Yemen’s Deputy Prime Minister Salem Al Khanbashi said.

In an interview with The National at his home in Mukalla, capital of the south-eastern province of Hadramawt, Mr Al Khanbashi said delays in applying some terms of the agreement and recent brief skirmishes in the south would not torpedo the pact.

“The Riyadh Agreement is a historical document that addresses major problems that have accumulated over the last 30 years," Mr Al Khanbashi said. “The agreement is a road map for structural reforms in the state’s system. It will also bring together the southerners ahead of a comprehensive settlement in the country and against our common enemy, the Houthis.”

Mr Al Khanbashi signed the agreement on behalf of the government. A senior member of the General People’s Congress, the party that has ruled Yemen for decades, he was appointed deputy PM by President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi in October last year. Born in Hadramawt in 1952, Mr Al Khanbashi is also an associate professor of philosophy at Hadramawt University and served as governor of the province.

The November 5 agreement restored the southern city of Aden to government control after it was seized by STC-allied forces in August and provided for the formation of a new government with equal representation for the STC within 30 days. Although Prime Minister Maeen Abdul Malik returned to Aden two weeks later with members of his Cabinet, the formation of a new 24-member government and the replacing of governors and security chiefs in several southern provinces has not yet taken place.

-Agencies