ADEN — Rashad Al-Alimi, head of Yemen's newly formed Presidential Leadership Council, vowed on Friday to work to end the country's devastating conflict and achieve permanent peace.

On Thursday, former Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi issued a republican decree delegating all his executive powers to the eight-member Presidential Leadership Council, and relieving his Vice President Ali Mohsin Al-Ahmar of his duties.

"This council is a council of peace, not war, but it is also a council of defense, power, and unity, and its mission is to protect the nation's and citizens' sovereignty," Al-Alimi said in his first televised speech.

Following seven years of devastating internal conflict, Al-Alimi vowed to work along with other seven members of the Presidential Leadership Council to end the war and establish a comprehensive and urgent peace process.

He also promised to prioritize the country's national interests and to work tirelessly to address all political, economic, social, and security challenges.

"We will work without exception or discrimination to meet Yemenis' demands," he said, urging Yemen's people to support the state institutions.

Al-Alimi is a well-known Yemeni official who has been working as an advisor to Hadi since 2014 and held a number of government posts, including minister of the interior.

The other seven members of the council include Aidarous Zubaidi, the chief of the Southern Transitional Council, and Tariq Saleh, nephew of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Hadi was elected to lead the turbulent Arab country on Feb. 25, 2012 following the handover of power by former President Saleh in accordance with the Gulf Initiative on Yemen. — Agencies