UNITED NATIOINS: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asked his Special Envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, on Wednesday to postpone the planned consultations aimed at seeking a peaceful and Yemeni-led political transition process in the country.

“The secretary-general 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,” Mr Ban’s spokesperson said in a statemen issued in New York.

“He also reiterates that the only durable resolution to the crisis in Yemen is an inclusive, negotiated political settlement.” The consultations – originally scheduled to be held in Geneva on May 28 – would have brought together a broad range of actors including the Yemeni government and other stakeholders in an effort to stem the ongoing violence afflicting the country.

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ latest estimations, at least 1,037 civilians lost their lives in Yemen between March 26 and 20 May 20.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2015

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