Yemeni president opens national dialogue conference

Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi inaugurated the third round of the National Dialogue Conference (NDC) here on Tuesday, with the participation of UN envoy Jamal Benomar, head of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) mission in Yemen Sa'ad al-Arifi, and ambassadors of the ten countries sponsoring the Gulf initiative. In a keynote speech, the Yemen president said Yemen would be a unified federal state, voicing optimism over a solution to the issue of south Yemen. "A few days separate us from reaching a just solution to the South issue based on addressing the injustices of the past and rework the contract of unity between all the components of Yemen in the framework of a unified Yemeni federal state," he said. He added that it is not difficult to resolve unsettled points in the South issue as long as a top priority is given to the higher national interests and the spirit of consensus and partnership. For his part, the head of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) mission in Yemen Sa'ad al-Arifi said the holding of the third session of the National Dialogue Conference (NDC) marks the success of the Yemeni political and popular will and ability to overcome hardships and obstacles. He said the GCC member states wish that the success of the first and second rounds of the dialogue would spur and simulate all political forces and societal components in Yemen to effectively contribute to producing concrete recommendations that would fulfill the expectations and ambitions of the Yemeni people. He spoke highly of the Yemeni leader's role in bringing closer the views and positions of participating political groups. Addressing the event, UN envoy Jamal Benomar appreciated the results of the dialogue achieved so far, hoping that they would eventually lead to a new Yemen based on law, democracy, human rights and good governance. He voiced confidence that only with the strong will and wisdom, challenges and problems facing the Yemeni people would be defeated. The gathering mainly aims to draw a roadmap for a future Yemen, with 565 members from eight major political groups attending.