On the 3rd, Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council welcomed a dialogue initiative proposed by Saudi Arabia. Several media outlets viewed this as a sign that the situation in Yemen might be easing. On the same day, Yemeni government forces recaptured the strategic eastern province of Hadramaut from the Southern Transitional Council. On the 3rd, Ali al-Mihuri, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, announced that government forces had taken full control of all military and security facilities in Hadramaut Province. Officials from both the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council confirmed that the Council’s forces had withdrawn from the province. On the evening of the 2nd, al-Mihuri said he had requested that Saudi Arabia host a dialogue and invite armed factions from southern Yemen to participate. Saudi Arabia subsequently agreed to his request and invited various factions from southern Yemen to attend the talks. (Xinhua)