UN Security Council welcomes army restructuring decisions in Yemen

The UN Security Council has welcomed the decisions recently issued by President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi on the restructuring of the armed forces. The members of the Security Council confirmed, in a statement issued late on Friday that "such steps are consistent with the interim agreement, which is sponsored by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Council’s resolutions 2014 and 2051, and supports the objectives of the national dialogue, which began on the 18th of last March." They urged all parties in Yemen to support the president's decisions and to work to ensure their immediate implementation. The Council’s members stressed, in their statement, the importance of the leadership of the Yemeni people for the transitional period, which must be based on the commitment to democracy ,good governance ,the rule of law, national reconciliation and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms of all citizens. The UN Security Council renewed in the statement its commitment to the unity, sovereignty , independence and territorial integrity of Yemen. The Council called on all parties to respect the timetable and criteria set forth in the interim agreement, including the general elections scheduled in 2014 and to work in good faith and transparency and in a constructive manner. Also the UN Security Council renewed warnings to the parties trying to disrupt the process of political transition in Yemen that it will impose sanctions on them if they did not cooperate with President Hadi.