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1st LD Writethru: UN chief announces postponement of Geneva consultations on Yemen

Xinhua, May 27, 2015 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon announced Tuesday that the consultations in Geneva on Yemen has been postponed following a request from the Yemeni government and other key stakeholders for more time to prepare.

"The Secretary-General has asked his Special Envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, to postpone the consultations in Geneva planned for May 28," said a statement released by Ban's spokesperson.

The UN-sponsored consultations had been set to open on May 28 in Geneva to restore momentum towards a Yemeni-led political transition process.

"The Secretary-General is actively working to convene the talks at the earliest possible time," said the statement.

Ban said he is disappointed that "it has not been possible to commence such an important initiative at the soonest possible date and reiterates his call for all parties to engage in United Nations-facilitated consultations in good faith and without pre- conditions."

Conflict in Yemen has escalated after a five-day humanitarian pause in this war-torn country. At least 1,037 civilians have been killed between March 26 and May 20 in Yemen as a result of widespread and protracted violence, according to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Ban also said he is acutely aware that a postponement or delay in a return to the political process will exacerbate a steadily deepening humanitarian crisis and he has instructed his envoy to consult with the Yemeni government, Yemen's political groupings and countries in the region "with the aim of producing a comprehensive ceasefire and the resumption of peaceful dialogue and an orderly political transition," said the statement. Endite