UN Security Council welcomes upcoming talks of Yemeni parties

UN Security Council on Friday welcomed the upcoming talks of Yemeni parties, while emphasizing the need for a peaceful, orderly, inclusive and Yemeni-led transition process, said a press statement issued Friday.

The council reiterated its call on "all Yemeni parties to resume and accelerate United Nations-brokered inclusive political consultations," and welcomed "the announcement by the United Nations and the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen on the upcoming talks."

It also called on Yemeni parties to engage in the talks "without preconditions and in good faith, including by resolving their differences through dialogue and consultations, rejecting acts of violence to achieve political goals, and refraining from provocation and all unilateral actions to undermine the political transition."

At the same time, the council "emphasized that the United Nations-brokered inclusive political dialogue must be a Yemeni-led process."

The 15-member body also pointed out that all parties should "engage in a flexible and constructive manner in the preparation and conduct of the talks to allow Yemen to move towards a sustainable peace."

While expressing deep concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen, the council "urged all parties to take immediate steps to facilitate the urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance and fuel for civilian purposes to all parts of Yemen."

Given the funding gap, the council once again called on the international community to contribute to the UN humanitarian appeal which requested 1.6 billion U.S. dollars. Now the appeal is around 47 percent funded and in September it was 24 percent funded.

Yemen has been mired in political gridlock since 2011 when mass protests forced former President Ali Abdullash Saleh to step down. The three-year reconciliation talks failed to resolve the crisis but create huge power vacuum as competing forces fight for control of the country.

Source: XINHUA