1st LD: UN Security Council calls for international conference on Yemen

The UN Security Council on Tuesday called on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to convene a conference of all related parties of the Yemen issue to seek a political solution to the crisis based on consensus.

The call came as Yemen witnessed its deadliest period of fighting since violence broke out on March 26. At least 182 civilians were killed in Yemen on May 4-10, a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesman said on Tuesday.

"The members of the Security Council called on the secretary-general to convene a conference of all Yemeni stakeholders, with the intention of brokering a consensus-based political solution to Yemen's crisis in accordance with the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative and its Implementation Mechanism, the outcomes of the comprehensive National Dialogue conference, and relevant Security Council resolutions," the 15-nation UN Security Council said in a statement issued to the press here.

"The members of the Security Council called on all Yemeni parties to attend these talks under the auspices of the United Nations and engage without preconditions and in good faith, including by resolving their differences through dialogue and consultation, rejecting acts of violence to achieve political goals, and refraining from provocation and all unilateral actions to undermine the political transition," the statement said.

"The members of the Security Council emphasized that the UN-brokered inclusive political dialogue must be a Yemeni-led process," the statement said. Endi