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.