CAIRO, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit welcomed on Tuesday the signing of a power-sharing deal between the internationally-recognized government of Yemen and Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC).
In a statement, Aboul-Gheit said the agreement is a step to "preserve the integration of Yemeni soil and prevent the country from sliding towards further division and disintegration."
"Saudi Arabia has played an important role in sponsoring the agreement and pushing the Yemeni parties to the negotiating table," the Arab League chief noted.
Earlier in the day, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud chaired the signing ceremony between the two political rivals in Riyadh.
The deal stipulated that a new power-sharing government will operate from the southern port city of Aden, the country's interim capital, and exercise all its tasks in serving the people from there.
The STC is considered as a significant part of the Saudi-led Arab coalition to fight Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen.
The impoverished Arab country has been locked in a civil war since late 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the country and seized all northern areas including the capital Sanaa.
