Un Envoy: Yemenis Were 'Very Close' To Political Solution

The UN's outgoing Yemen envoy said Monday that parties to the Yemeni conflict had been "very close" to reaching an agreement before the latest wave of violence interrupted the talks.



Jamal Benomar, who resigned from his post after four years in office, spoke to the press following his final briefing to the UN Security Council.



He said the "main sticking point" in the collapsed negotiations had been the dispute about who would lead the country.



"I told the Security Council that the collapse of the transition was not the fault of one side but rather the result of accumulated mistakes and miscalculations made in varying degrees by all sides," he said.



Yemen has been in the grip of violence since the takeover of government institutions and parts of the country by Houthis rebels last September.



The crisis prompted a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states to launch a bombing campaign March 25 against the Shiite group.



"Getting the political process back on track and achieving lasting peace and stability in Yemen could only be reached through Yemeni-led peaceful negotiations where Yemenis could determine their future free from interference and coercion form outside forces," Benomar said.



The UN estimates more than 1,080 victims have been killed and upwards of 150,000 residents displaced in Yemen since March 19.



Benomar also said the implementation of a targeted arms embargo in Yemen could "inadvertently" restrict the flow of desperately needed commercial goods and humanitarian aid to the impoverished country.



The Security Council last week adopted a resolution imposing an arms embargo against the Houthis and their allies.



The Moroccan diplomat will be replaced by Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed of Mauritania as the special envoy for Yemen.



www.aa.com.tr/en - New York