GCC Chief may brief UNSC on Yemen next Aug. - UNSC Pres.

12/06/2013

UNITED NATIONS-- Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Dr. Abdullatif Al-Zayani may brief the UN Security Council (UNSC) in August on the political transition in Yemen, said the Council President British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant on Tuesday.

"There was a suggestion made that when we discuss Yemen again in August (under Argentina's presidency) that the Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General be also invited to brief the Council," Lyall Grant told reporters following a briefing to the Council by Special Advisor of the Secretary General on Yemen Jamal Ben Omar.

Lyall Grant also said that Yemen is a subject on which there is a "strong degree of Security Council unity, and strong support for the work of Jamal Ben Omar and of the Gulf Cooperation Council." Ben Omar told the Council that despite the numerous challenges facing Yemen, the political transition is on course.

"Yemen is the only country in the region to emerge from the violence of 2011 with a peacefully negotiated agreement. The Government and people of Yemen are to be congratulated for standing by their words despite the challenges, and I urge them to stay the course," he said.

Nevertheless, he added that the Government has yet to meet its obligation to establish a Commission of Inquiry into the 2011 events or to adopt a law on transitional justice. "Only with critical steps like these can Yemenis ensure a path to national reconciliation and embrace a new Yemen." He also warned that the security situation remains "fragile" in many parts of the country, and that despite all efforts to counter Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, it remains a "lethal threat." He said there are "no guarantees for what lies ahead. It is an undertaking of great hope in a fragile environment." The ongoing National Dialogue Conference will feed into a constitution-making process, paving the way for general elections in February 2014. Registration for the elections is due to begin next September.

Yemeni Ambassador to the UN Jamal Abdallah Al-Sallal also addressed the Council depicting a mixed picture of the situation in his country and commending President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi for his numerous achievements despite the challenges facing the Government.

He urged the Council to prevent any party in Yemen to hinder the GCC's initiative for political transition in Yemen.