Ban Ki-moon visits Yemen to kick- start National Dialogue

Secretary-General of the UN Ban Ki-moon will arrive in Yemen tomorrow for a short visit to Sana’a, reported a Kuwaiti newspaper quoting official sources.  He is expected to unite rival parties behind the upcoming National Dialogue.

According to official sources a joint meeting will be held that will include President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi, members of the reconciliation government, Secretary-General of the UN Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the GCC, Abdullatif Bin Rashid Al Zayani, UN special Envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar and ambassadors of the countries that sponsored the GCC Initiative.

 The meeting will look at the steps that Yemen has taken in the implementation of the GCC-Initiative and its UN-backed mechanisms. They will also look at what could potentially hinder the political settlement. 

  Sources said that a press conference will be held for President Hadi, Secretary-General of the UN Ban Ki-moon and Secretary-General of the GCC, al-Zayani on Monday. 

Al-Zayani arrived in Sana›a on Sunday evening to look at the final arrangements for the National Dialogue conference. Political sources confirmed that al-Zayani will renew the position of  the Gulf Cooperation Council along with calling for the stability of Yemen, and its commitment to the participation of all political parties in shaping the future of the future Yemen.

This visit comes at a time when the UN has threatened sanctions against all those who stand in front of the implementation of the GCC-Initiative and political settlement in Yemen.

The UN’s expected visit will come after the Committee’s Preparatory for the National Dialogue failed to report to President Hadi as scheduled by the degree to deliver by 15 November.

Last week leaders of the Southern Movement had been requested by the UN in a Cairo meeting to participate in the National Dialogue without any preconditions but Haidar al-Attas along with another two leaders issued a joint statement yesterday demanding independence.

 President Hadi is expected to deliver an important speech on Monday on the occasion of first anniversary of the signing of Gulf initiative. Hadi›s speech will coincide with the number of European officials and Gulf countries representated, sponsoring the initiative.

Official sources expect that at the head of the visiting delegation is His Excellency the Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon as a message support from the international community to President Hadi. Sources said that President Hadi will be holding separate meetings with European officials to discuss developments in the political crisis worsening and the convergence of the political parties and their remoteness regarding outputs of the National Dialogue. 

The arrival of the delegation comes after major tensions that are developing between the political parties and the attempt of some elements in these parties to repudiate some items of the Gulf initiative and block its implementation.

Many political analysts believe that the delegation will announce explicitly unlimited support for President Hadi and its support for all decisions taken will be taken in the interest of Yemen and the stability of the region.

The visit of Ban Ki-moon to Yemen helps show direct support from the United Nations and the international community for the success of the National Dialogue in Yemen.  On the other hand sources in the technical committee in charge of preparing for the National Dialogue conference emphasized that holding the National Dialogue conference will not be delayed, it is scheduled for the end of November or early December.


  The sources confirmed that the decision to postpone the deadline for the National Dialogue conference to late November has not been issued yet and that the Commission in case decided to take such an action, they will be submitted to President Hadi in the form of a proposal accompanied by findings for a reason for postponing the scheduled date for the convening of the National Dialogue conference.

The sources did not rule out postponement to mid-December at most, noting that significant progress has been made on creating compatibility between the various parties on contentious issues that comes at the top of the conference’s agenda.

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