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Security Council to sanction against those undermining Yemen's transition

26 February 2014 20:35 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution to authorize sanctions against individuals and organizations threatening the ongoing political transition in Yemen, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The resolution intends to hit offenders with a travel ban and an asset freeze "for an initial period of one year."

Sanctions are aimed at those who are found to be "obstructing or undermining the successful completion of the political transition" of Yemen, where Yemenis negotiated an agreement for peaceful change after being on the brink of a civil war, the resolution said.

The Security Council expressed its "concern at the ongoing political, security, economic and humanitarian challenges in Yemen, including the ongoing violence," said the resolution.

The resolution also determined that "the situation in Yemen constitutes a threat to international peace and security in the region."

The Middle East country has been undergoing a political transition, with a government of national unity, which came to power in an election in February 2012 following the resignation of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who stepped down in 2011 after 33 years as the Yemeni president.

But an Al-Qaida insurgency has undermined efforts toward democracy, and security officials reportedly claim that Saleh loyalists in the country's security and intelligence agencies have quietly backed the terrorist group.

The Security Council recognizes that "the transition process requires turning the page from the presidency of Ali Abdullah Saleh," the resolution said, adding that the 15-nation UN body also recognizes "the importance of governance reforms to the political transition in Yemen."

The resolution condemned Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula ( AQAP) and other terrorist groups engaged in "all terrorist activities, attacks against civilians, oil, gas and electricity infrastructure and against the legitimate authorities, including those aimed at undermining the political process in Yemen."

The Security Council stressed that "the best solution to the situation in Yemen is through a peaceful, inclusive, orderly and Yemeni-led political transition process that meets the legitimate demands and aspirations of the Yemeni people for peaceful change and meaningful political, economic and social reform," said the resolution.

Meanwhile, the resolution also welcomed the road map for a Yemeni-led political transition agreed on by all political parties at the National Dialogue Conference.

Launched on March 18, the National Dialogue Conference brought new actors to the political process such as youth, women, civil society representatives and the Hiraak Southern Movement.

The conference aimed to feed into a constitution-making process and pave the way for general elections in 2014.

The talks were originally scheduled to wrap up in September 2013, but were extended.

The Security Council also commended the engagement of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in assisting the political transition in Yemen, said the resolution.