UN chief welcomes resumption of negotiations in Yemen

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday welcomed the resumption of the UN-facilitated negotiations involving all political parties in Yemen.

In a statement released by Ban's spokesperson, Ban said he welcomes the announcement that his Special Adviser on Yemen Jamal Benomar will reconvene the negotiations Monday.

"He congratulates the political parties and constituencies for assuming their responsibility as leaders of the country to peacefully steer Yemen through this challenging period," said the statement.

Benomar announced earlier in the day that Yemen's political parties and the Shiite Houthi group will resume talks on Monday to resolve the recent political crisis one day after the main factions rejected Houthi's takeover of power.

The latest efforts were expected to help reach a consensus among political parties and the Houthi group to fill the power vacuum after the country's president and prime minister submitted resignations late last month.

On Friday, the Houthi group announced its unilateral move to dissolve the parliament and forming a presidential council to take over power from the presidency, which further deepens the chaos.

Ban also urged all sides to resolve themselves to complete the political transition as set forth in the Implementation Mechanism of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Initiative, the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference and the Peace and National Partnership Agreement.

"The Secretary-General calls on all sides to negotiate in good faith and in the spirit of compromise," said the statement. "He further urges all sides to cooperate with his special adviser on Yemen, who enjoys his full support."

The GCC released a statement on Saturday which rejected Houthi's takeover of Yemen and warned of steps to protect its members' interests. Endi