UN envoy meets President of Yemen amid progress on route to negotiations

The United Nations Special Adviser on Yemen, Jamal Benomar, met with the country’s President, Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi, in Aden today, according to an announcement made by the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General.

Mr. Benomar briefed the Security Council yesterday during closed consultations, Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at UN Headquarters today, pointing to a statement released by Mr. Benomar in which he revealed that he told Council members that progress is being made on the status of the UN-brokered negotiations. The Special Adviser also warned that there are extremists within many sides who want for these negotiations to fail.

“Mr. Benomar said that no side has the ability to impose control by force over the entire country,” Mr. Dujarric continued. “Any side that would want to pursue a military solution would be inviting a protracted conflict in the vein of a Libya- or Syria-like scenario.”

The statement released by Mr. Benomar also emphasized that peaceful dialogue is the only way forward, adding that the UN is engaged with all parties in a manner that neither gives legitimacy to those who used force to disrupt the political process, nor diminishes the legitimacy of the President and government, nor harms the impartiality of the United Nations.