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Ould Cheikh Ahmed: Yemen’s Political Vacuum Benefits Terrorism | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the United Nations special envoy for Yemen, answers questions from reporters in Geneva, Switzerland, December 7, 2015 (UN/Jean-Marc Ferré)


Jeddah – U.N. Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said on Monday that terrorism was benefiting from political and security vacuum in Yemen.

During a joint news conference with the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah, Ould Cheikh Ahmed said that there were clear solutions to the crisis in Yemen. Those include the withdrawal of rebels from the occupied territories, the handover of arms and the adoption of national political dialogue, according to the international envoy.

“There is no alternative to a political solution in Yemen,” Ould Cheikh Ahmed said, adding that “a military solution will not be possible.”

“The coming period will be dedicated to maintaining peace negotiations in order to reach a comprehensive solution” to the crisis, he said.

The U.N. envoy noted that any agreement should be based on U.N. Security Council Resolution 2216, the implementation mechanisms of the Gulf Initiative and the outcome of national dialogue.

The U.N. envoy insisted that peace talks between the Yemeni government and Houthis have not failed.

For his part, OIC Secretary General Iyad Madani said he hoped that efforts exerted by the Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed would lead to a political solution.

Madani expressed concern over the unilateral decision taken by the “parties that turned against legitimacy,” to establish a political council and their call on Parliament in Sanaa to vote in favor of the council’s establishment.

Such steps will lead to further complications, Madani noted, reiterating the Organization’s support to a political solution in Yemen, in accordance with the relevant documents and international resolutions.

On Saturday, Ould Cheikh said the UN-brokered peace talks have been suspended for one month