UN Security Council condemns practices impeding transition in Yemen

The UN Security Council has condemned the practices carried out by those who seek to disrupt the transitional phase in Yemen and undermine the Yemeni government efforts. This came in the statement issued by the Security Council in New York and read by the President of the Council in November, Ambassador Liu Jieyi of China, late on Wednesday. Members of the UN Security Council have issued a unanimous and clear message in support of Yemen's ongoing political transition process and the Yemeni Government's efforts to reconstruct the economy and safeguard security, including the National Dialogue Conference (NDC), Jieyi said. Launched on 18 March, the NDC brought new actors to the political process such as youth, women, civil society representatives, the Houthi Movement and the Hiraak Southern Movement. The deadline for the end of conference was scheduled for 18 September, but disagreements over key issues have delayed its conclusion. Concerned over these delays, Ambassador Jieyi said” the Council members are urging all parties in Yemen, to engage constructively in a spirit of compromise to address the remaining critical issues”. "The members of the Security Council reiterated their concern over continuing reports of interference by those intent on disrupting, delaying or derailing the transition process and undermining the Yemeni Government. The members of the Security Council condemned any such attempts, whether by members of the former regime or political opportunists, notably by abstaining from participation in the National Dialogue Conference, threatening to do so or standing in the way of a consensus agreement to conclude the National Dialogue." The Council Members also warned "spoilers" that action will be taken if they continued to attempt to disrupt the peaceful transition process, Ambassador Jieyi noted. With regards to growing calls for secession from southern separatists, he said the Council was clear and unanimous in its support of the unity, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Yemen. In its closed session ,the Security Council listened to a report presented by the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and his envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar about the developments of the situation in Yemen and the challenges that disrupt the conclusion of the NDC. In statement to media, Benomar pointed out that the Security Council stressed that the conclusion of the political transition must rely on the completion of the steps in the Gulf initiative and its mechanism executive. Benomar went on saying: "I came back yesterday morning of the twenty-fifth visit to Yemen, and I can say that the political process continues to progress significantly despite the challenges." He noted that the NDC has resulted in promising outputs so far and established a roadmap for a radical democratic transition and that is a great achievement. The UN envoy revealed that the role of the disrupters still contributes to destabilizing , warning of that this role threatens the political transition. He added: "For most members of the national dialogue conference, the obstructionists cannot enjoy immunity and continue to undermine the transition process at the same time." ” It is important to mention that international law prohibits the granting of amnesty and impunity for the perpetrators of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity”, Benomar said. The UN envoy made it clear that the transfer of power agreement clearly states that the president-elect remains in power until handing it over to a new president, which means that the presidential term is not bound to a certain time but to the completion of tasks.