Yemen, 2014

At the

outset, on behalf of the people and the Government

of Yemen, I would like to congratulate the President

of the General Assembly and his brotherly country,

Uganda, on his election to lead the Assembly at its

sixty-ninth session. We fully trust that, thanks to his

able leadership, the work of the Assembly during this

session will come to a fruitful conclusion, and we wish

him every success in that endeavour. We would also

like to express our appreciation for the skilful manner

in which his predecessor, Mr. John Ashe, led the work

of the Assembly at its previous session. In addition, I

would like to welcome the tireless and mighty efforts

being undertaken by the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban

Ki-moon, to manage this Organization in accordance

with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the

United Nations, which focuses on the maintenance of

international peace and security. We thank him for

his commendable and special efforts to support the

political process in Yemen.

I would like to highlight a happy coincidence. This

general debate is taking place at a time when Yemen is

observing the anniversary of its two glorious revolutions

of September and October. Those events were very

important occasions for us, and I would like, therefore,

to congratulate, from this rostrum, the valiant people

of Yemen and commend them on their resolve and the

sacrifices that they have made to achieve freedom and

to put an end to oppression, injustice and despotism. In

addition, I would commend our people on the efforts

for change that they have been undertaking wisely and

patiently for 50 years now.

Since the beginning of 2011, Yemen has taken

measures to effect change and address the successive

political and economic crises that arose owing to a lack

of political prospects. Those crises all but ravaged our

country and led it to the brink of civil war and chaos.

They have also had very negative repercussions at the

political, economic, security and humanitarian levels

in Yemen. The Yemeni people realized that the best

way to put an end to those crises was through national

dialogue.

I would like, therefore, once again to thank all of

those who provided their support to the people of Yemen

and to a political settlement of the situation in Yemen,

in particular through the Gulf Cooperation Council

(GCC) Initiative and the Implementation Mechanism.

I would like to thank Saudi Arabia, in particular the

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin

Abdulaziz Al-Saud. I thank the GCC and its Secretary

General, Mr. Al Zayani. I would also like to thank the

Secretary-General of the United Nations and his Special

Adviser on Yemen, Mr. Benomar. In addition, I thank

the members of the Security Council for their support

for the righteous political process in Yemen. I thank

the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic

Cooperation, the European Union and all the countries

and international organizations and institutions that

have supported my country.

In that regard, I would like to mention the

exceptional and historic visit of the Security Council

to Sana’a on 27 January 2013. That visit was a strong

signal of support from the international community to

Yemen and to its extraordinary peaceful transition of

power through political dialogue and on the basis of the

GCC Initiative, the Implementation Mechanism and the

road map seeking to put an end to the crisis and steer

Yemen in the safe and right direction. We must also not

forget the relevant resolutions of the Security Council,

namely resolutions 2014 (2011), 2051 (2012) and 2140

(2014). They have lent political weight to the work of

the United Nations on the political process in Yemen.

Nor should we forget the periodic reports of the

Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, Mr. Benomar,

on the progress in the political situation and the

challenges that Yemen has been facing. Those reports

have played a very important role, because they have

sent a message to all political parties in Yemen that are

trying to stall the political process; it is a message that

says that we will not let anybody threaten the unity,

security and stability of Yemen, with all of the resulting

implications for international peace and security.

I would also like to commend President Abdrabuh

Mansour Hadi Mansour, who has shown great

perseverance in rebuilding a new federal Yemen on

the basis of Yemen’s inclusive National Dialogue

Conference. Yemen signed the Gulf Initiative for Yemen

and thereby began the transition process. We were able

to achieve the goals set for the first stage of transition.

A Government of National Reconciliation was formed,

a military affairs committee was established, and early

presidential elections were organized.

We then began the second stage of the transitional

process. Among the most important achievements

of that phase was the National Dialogue Conference,

which took place on 28 January 2014. In addition, we

have set up a drafting committee for a constitution.

That committee is about to submit its first draft of

the new constitution. After the draft’s adoption, there

will be a referendum on it. Furthermore, the Supreme

Commission for Elections and Referendum has created

an electronic register for the purpose of registering

voters.

We have made notable progress in the political

process. However, Yemen still faces great challenges

that have nearly destroyed the country and are trying

to bring it back to square one. We would cite, inter alia,

the many dangerous events that occurred in Yemen as

a result of the recent political and military escalation

provoked by the Ansar Allah group, which besieged

the capital, Sana’a, despite the decision taken by the

Yemeni people at the inclusive National Dialogue

Conference no longer to use weapons or violence to

settle their political differences.

The Government undertook to deal with the issue

of escalation wisely and patiently, because our nation

can no longer bear to put up with conflict. Indeed,

the citizens of Yemen are buckling under the burden

resulting from successive financial crises. All of our

people aspire to peace and stability. A great many

political efforts have been undertaken to end the crisis,

which led to the signing of the Peace and National

Partnership Agreement. However, the Ansar Allah

group chose military means, attacking institutions of

the State, looting and pillaging them as well as private

homes.

The militia entered our capital, Sana’a, where

it remains. The success of the terrorist groups is the

result of political support and logistical coordination

provided by members of the former regime. But we

took a political approach based on conciliation and

made further political efforts leading to the signing a

few days ago of a new security annex to the Agreement

in order to maintain social cohesion, so that our people

can devote their efforts to the political process and to

implementing the final stages of a critical turning point

in our national life.

All political parties in Yemen need to undertake to

uphold the commitments in the Agreement. In addition,

the international community needs to continue to

provide its political support and economic assistance

to Yemen. We also need for strong and firm positions

to be taken by the Security Council, condemning all

parties that seek to undermine the political process.

The international community has condemned the

events referred to and has called on the Yemeni parties

to respect the commitments and pledges made during

the National Dialogue Conference.

It should be noted that Yemen is also dealing with

major economic challenges, including a scarcity of

resources, an increase in unemployment and poverty

and growing budgetary deficits. In addition, Yemen

is experiencing a humanitarian crisis that cannot be

overlooked, because half of our population, namely,

14.7 million people, need some form of humanitarian

assistance. Moreover, Yemen is currently hosting

around a million refugees from countries of the Horn

of Africa.

We have an annual humanitarian response plan in

Yemen, but the plan has not mobilized the necessary

support. The international community knows, however,

that, if the humanitarian situation worsens further, that

will have an impact on the political process. In the

face of the very difficult economic and humanitarian

context that has nearly destroyed our national economy,

the Government of national reconciliation took the

decision to amend the price of oil derivatives, adopted

a set of austerity measures and fiscal and tax reforms,

and agreed to provide social security coverage to more

250,000 people. We have also put the final touches on

an electronic human-resources management system

for police and army personnel. We are also working

progressively in the area of agriculture and fisheries.

Undoubtedly, Yemen expects a great deal from

its fraternal and friendly neighbouring countries at

this very difficult time. We need economic support

commensurate with the challenges that we are facing.

That support could reduce the costs associated with

the economic reforms that we will be launching in the

future.

Yemen has seen an improvement in the security

situation in our country. We have taken steps to

restructure our armed forces and police. However, the

security situation in Yemen is still rather fragile and

is an obstacle preventing the success of our political

processes and economic growth. Yemen has been

affected by the scourge of terrorism, which has spared

no nationality, sect or religion. That terrorism is not

only threatening Yemen currently but the region and

the entire world. We have played a pioneering role in

striving to thwart a scourge that has embedded itself

into the lives and traditions of our people and of the

people of all the countries of our region and the world.

The number of non-Yemenite elements in those terrorist

groups is 70 per cent.

The international community needs to tighten its

ranks to help Yemen to combat the scourge. We need

support from the international community to combat

terrorism in the Pacific region and the Arabian Gulf,

which is a window open to the entire world. We are

seeking to continue our efforts very actively, and

we will spare no effort to ensure that our countries

continue to go in the right direction and to put an end to

all bastions of terrorism, to polarization and hegemony,

because all peoples aspire to a safe, stable life, within a

climate marked by justice and partnership, legality and

freedom. In order to combat the security challenges,

we need support from friendly countries as part of

efforts to combat terrorism. We also need cooperation

in logistics, training and capacity-building, because

Yemen’s stability will have a positive impact on the

region and the entire world.

Despite the challenges that Yemen is facing

economically and politically and in terms of security,

we have not been sheltered from the other crises that

the world is facing. We have closely followed all of the

suffering the world over, but particularly that of the

Palestinian people, who have been killed and mutilated,

with the infrastructure in their country being destroyed

and new lethal weapons being used to commit new,

barbarous crimes that have cost the lives of thousands

of martyrs and caused thousands of injuries.

The international community must therefore

condemn the war crimes and crimes against humanity

being committed against innocent civilians. It should

make the occupying Power resume the peace process

with the goal of achieving a just, comprehensive and

lasting peace that respects the decisions of international

law and the Arab Peace Initiative. We would like to

reaffirm our full solidarity with the Palestinian people

in their efforts to see the restoration of the rights that

have been stolen from them, including their independent

State, with Jerusalem as its capital.

The ongoing cycle of violence in sisterly Syria is a

source of concern, since it continues to destabilize and

damage the entire region. Furthermore, some armed

terrorist groups are exploiting the serious situation

there. That is a large-scale challenge that demands

that we all work together to find solutions, as fast as

possible, in order to promote the aspirations of the

Syrian people in peace and stability, while maintaining

Syria’s unity and territorial integrity.

In Iraq, we are seeing the activities of Daesh,

which is perpetrating crimes against the population

irrespective of their religious and ethnic backgrounds.

That is extremely worrying, because such groups and

organizations are simply interested in acquiring greater

power. They have nothing to do with the tolerant Islamic

religion or the values of the Muslim community as a

whole, which respects all the rights of others.

The events and conflicts we are seeing around

the world highlight the challenges facing the United

Nations. We must work to reform it so that it is able

to settle conflicts and maintain international peace

and security. I therefore urge that the Arab States

be given a permanent seat on the Security Council,

since the region figures so prominently in the work of

international peace and security.

The issue of the control of nuclear weapons is

urgent, since nuclear and other weapons of mass

destruction are a huge threat to the peace and security

of the whole world. We therefore deplore the fact that

the conference on establishing the Middle East as a

nuclear-weapon-free zone has been repeatedly delayed,

despite the efforts and flexibility shown by Arab

countries to convene it. We call on the great Powers to

assume their responsibility to put pressure on Israel and

the other parties that are preventing the convening of a

conference, whereby they are creating obstacles to the

restoration of peace and security in the Middle East and

laying the ground for an alarming arms race, which will

undoubtedly have negative effects.

In conclusion, I would once again like to thank the

President and the Secretary-General. We hope that the

work of this session will be successful and will help to

meet the hopes and aspirations of our peoples to live in

peace and stability and lead a decent life.