UN envoy to Yemen 'frustrated' by Houthi stance
Benomar arrived in Aden – from which President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi is trying to reinstate his rule – earlier Wednesday
UN envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar has told the UN Security Council of his "frustration" over the Shiite Houthi group's reluctance to heed the council's recommendations for ending the country's political crisis.
"During a Security Council session on Tuesday, I expressed my frustration over the Houthi's unwillingness to heed the council's resolutions calling on the group to withdraw from state institutions and end the house arrest of cabinet members and other officials," Benomar told a press conference held in the southern city of Aden.
"Those are mistaken who think they can impose their beliefs on others or rule Yemen by force," he added in reference to the Shiite group.
Benomar arrived in Aden – from which President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi is trying to reinstate his rule – earlier Wednesday.
A source close to Hadi said Benomar had come to brief the embattled president on proposals aimed at ending the country's political crisis, including the formation of a presidential council led by Hadi or the appointment of one of Hadi's deputies to oversee a transitional period.
In February, Hadi fled Sanaa – where he had been kept under house arrest by Houthi militants for weeks – to Aden.
Upon his arrival in the southern city, Hadi dismissed as "null" and "illegitimate" all recent Houthi-issued decrees. He also wrote to Yemen's parliament withdrawing a resignation he had tendered earlier.
On Feb. 6, the Houthis issued a "constitutional declaration" dissolving parliament and establishing a 551-member transitional council.
The declaration, however, was rejected by most of Yemen's political forces – along with some neighboring Gulf countries – which described it as a "coup against constitutional legitimacy."
