Sana’a: Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General, Jamal Bin Omar, has congratulated the Yemeni people for concluding the National Dialogue Conference (NDC).
“It is a historic moment for Yemen,” Bin Omar said in a statement issued on Wednesday, expressing his pleasure to have participated in the NDC Final Plenary session, chaired by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
According to the Saba News Agency, Bin Omar commended the unprecedented Yemeni achievement. “After being on the brink of civil war, Yemenis negotiated an agreement for peaceful change, the only such in the region.”
He noted that Yemen serves as a model for comprehensive national dialogue, based on transparency, inclusivity and active and meaningful participation of all political and social constituencies.
“The National Dialogue established a new social contract and opened a new page in the history of Yemen, breaking from the past and paving the way for democratic governance founded on the rule of law, human rights and equal citizenship,” the Special Adviser said.
He reaffirmed the support of the UN and the international community to the Yemeni-led political process, praising the leadership of President Hadi and the contributions of all political constituencies for this historic achievement.
Participants in the six-month conference are putting together a new political system. One key feature is federalism, in which the country will be divided to a number of regions that enjoy semi-autonomy. Bin Omar said one of the outcomes of the national dialogue would be the formation of a committee to write up a new constitution for the country.
The committee would be formed by President Hadi, he said.
He said another outcome would be drafting a new law to allow Yemenis to demand restoration of money stolen under the previous regime. “It is a great sum. If restored, it would benefit the Yemenis and their conditions will be totally different,” he said.
In addition to the Houthi rebels, the government faces a southern secessionist movement. The two rose up against what they describe as discrimination by the central government under former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The government is also challenged by radical groups outside the political process, notably Al Qaida. Washington considers Al Qaida in Arabian Peninsula to be the terror network’s most dangerous offshoot.
