UN special envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar

Sanaa - Khaled Haroji

Yemen's President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi on Saturday met with the UN special envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, who arrived in the capital Sanaa to continue supervising the democratic transition under a Western-backed power-transfer deal reached in November.
Hadi cited the importance of international efforts backing the transition process in the country, saying they can help provide opportunities for a comprehensive national dialogue under the deal and UN resolution 2014.
He brought up the victory of al-Qaeda militants in the south, stressing the importance of further cooperation from the international community and developing partnership "to fight terrorism, which has no country and no religion".
For his part, Benomar praised the Yemeni government, saying that the UN Security Council had unanimously decided to help it overcome the current situation and go towards development and prosperity.
"There are tireless measures to further back the political settlement based on the deal brokered by the GCC and its UN-sponsored implementation mechanism to ensure a successful transition process with regard to all its requirements including the national dialogue expected in the coming few months," said Benomar.
The meeting also dealt with other topics including the situation of basic services and infrastructure in Yemen at the moment, as well as the efforts to support the reconstruction process in Abyan province after driving al-Qaeda troops out of there.
Since Yemeni parties signed the power-transfer deal after the 2011 turmoil, the international community, especially the ten countries backing the deal, has been watching the transition closely.
They have warned officials and groups involved in attempts to obstruct the democratic transition, threatening sanctions and other possible measures.