South Yemeni leaders announce boycott of national dialogue

Activists in southern regions of Yemen are threatening civil disobedience South Yemeni leaders have decided to boycott next week's National Dialogue Conference, with 565 members from various Yemeni political parties and movements expected to participate in Sanaa. Former Yemeni Prime Minister Haidar al-Attas called for unity among political movements in south Yemen, adding that people in the southern regions would "strive for liberation and independence."
Yemeni opposition leader Abdel-Rahman Ali al-Jifri confirmed that southern parties had agreed to boycott the national dialogue because "the people of southern Yemen seek an independent state."
The statements came after several opposition leaders had attended a meeting with United Nations envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, in Dubai. Around 20 officials from various southern movements took part in the UN-sponsored gathering, where they firmly rejected participation in the dialogue conference on March 18.
In confirming their boycott, the opposition leaders have adopted the stance of Ali Salim al-Beidh, former Vice-President of South Yemen before unification and leader of the current southern independence movement al-Harak, who has demanded full independence for the southern region once again.  
Meanwhile, the Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi is expected to issue a presidential decree to announce the final list of parties and representatives taking part in the national dialogue, including officials from some southern opposition parties who have agreed to participate in the conference.
Intensive security measures have been put in place on the streets of Sanaa to make sure the conference can take place without any trouble. Activists in the southern regions have threatened to organise anti-national dialogue demonstrations across several southern cities. In a press statement, they urged Yemenis to carry out civil disobedience in a bid to restore the state of South Yemen.
President Hadi has held a meeting with several senior security and military officials, and told them to draft a comprehensive security plan to safeguard the conference from any potential violence or terrorist attacks.
The national dialogue is the result of a proposal adopted by Gulf states to oversee a peaceful transition of power in Yemen. Despite resigning as Yemen's head of state, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has continued to lead General People's Congress (GPC), a party which holds key government positions and has 112 national dialogue seats.
The conference aims to resolve several key issues, including the separation of South Yemen, Shiite protests in northern Yemen, and matters related to the country's new constitution.