2014-01-24
By Faisal Darem in Sanaa
Yemen's comprehensive National Dialogue Conference (NDC) concluded Tuesday (January 21st) with the ratification of the final document on which the country's new constitution will be based.
The peace talks, which began March 18th, 2013, had several goals: to write a new constitution for Yemen, prepare for elections in 2014 and resolve nine national issues.
The NDC's official closing ceremony will be held in Yemen on Saturday, and will be attended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi, and Gulf Co-operation Council Secretary-General Abdul Latif al-Zayani, in addition to representatives of the 10 countries sponsoring the Gulf initiative facilitating Yemen's transition of power and the reconciliation process in the country.
"The success of the conference is a success for all Yemenis, and its outputs will serve as a roadmap for completing the remaining tasks in the transitional period and beyond," NDC Secretary-General Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak told Al-Shorfa.
"Conference members, who represent all political forces in the arena, unanimously agreed that President [Abd Rabbu Mansour] Hadi remain in office until the end of the transitional phase," he said.
According to the Gulf initiative and its executive mechanism, President Hadi's mandate ends with the inauguration of the president-elect pursuant to the new constitution, bin Mubarak added.
"Yemen will witness new bold decisions in accordance with the document of guarantees, including cabinet changes to the national reconciliation government that the [national dialogue] conference imposed on President Hadi to meet the challenges of the current phase, through a government capable of implementing the outputs of the NDC on the ground," he said.
Bin Mubarak said the NDC ran into great difficulties: "We almost lost hope at some points during the dialogue, especially in relation to questions of the south and Saada, but in the end we overcame all difficulties through the co-operation of all the political forces, which were eager to lead Yemen out of the predicament it is in."
'YOUR HONEST AND SINCERE EFFORTS WERE MET WITH SUCCESS'
NDC participants had been divided into nine working groups to find solutions to key difficulties facing Yemen: the issues of southern Yemen; Saada; rights and freedoms; the independence of specialized government entities; sound governance; defence and security; sustainable development; environmental issues; and issues of national importance and transitional justice.
On the last day of the national dialogue, the Ansar Allah movement from Saada pulled out of the final session when their NDC representative, Ahmed Sharafeddine, was assassinated by gunmen as he drove to the conference, Yemen's official Saba news agency reported.
On the same day, the son of NDC member Abdul Wahab al-Ansi, who heads al-Islah Party, was injured when an improvised explosive device targeted his father's car in Sanaa, AFP reported.
President Hadi said in his speech in the closing session that the Ansar Allah delegates had informed him that they approve of all the outputs and documents of the NDC.
The NDC sessions had been followed by the entire world and reflect the vision of the new Yemen, and the final document is "100% Yemeni", he said.
The national march towards the future, safety, stability and unity of Yemen will continue, he said. "Everyone must believe that the forces of good, justice and fairness are stronger and nobler than the forces of evil and aggression that are committing these shameful crimes."
"We meet once again today in the closing session of our conference after all your honest and sincere efforts were met with success," the president said. "You succeeded in the final plenary session in approving the working groups' final reports on transitional justice, the southern issue and state-building, and also in ratifying the NDC's final document."
CONFERENCE OUTPUTS
The conference approved the establishment of a federal Yemeni republic composed of several regions, said Abdullah Lamlas, rapporteur to the NDC presidency.
The system of government of the federal authority will be presidential, and in the regions it will be parliamentary, with an electoral system based on proportional representation, he told Al-Shorfa.
Lamlas said he expects President Hadi to issue a decree naming the regions after forming a committee under his chairmanship to study the regional division of Yemen, as mandated by the NDC.
"The priorities for the upcoming post-dialogue stage include implementing its outputs, in particular the formation of a committee to draft the constitution, which will have about three months to complete its work, followed by a referendum on the constitution, after which Yemen will need about a year to prepare for new elections, which will mark the end of the transitional phase," he said.
NDC Deputy Secretary-General Yasser al-Ruaini spoke with Al-Shorfa about the establishment of the state and elections.
"This phase will include legislative and procedural tasks including the issuance of the judicial authority law, the formation of the constitutional court, issuance of required legislation and arrangements for the transition from a [unitary] state to a federal state, in accordance with the new constitution," he said.
The upcoming stage will witness fundamental changes to the government, al-Ruaini said.
The Shura Council will be expanded to ensure all political and social groups -- including youth, women and civil society organizations -- that participated in the NDC are represented in the same proportion they were during the conference, with southern representatives ensured a proportion of 50%, he added.
The conclusion of the conference represents a "safe exit for all Yemenis", said NDC member Issam al-Qaisi.
This will ensure that all components participate in governing the country based on the dialogue's document, he said.
Source: al-Shorfa.
Link: http://al-shorfa.com/en_GB/articles/meii/features/2014/01/24/feature-02.
By Faisal Darem in Sanaa
Yemen's comprehensive National Dialogue Conference (NDC) concluded Tuesday (January 21st) with the ratification of the final document on which the country's new constitution will be based.
The peace talks, which began March 18th, 2013, had several goals: to write a new constitution for Yemen, prepare for elections in 2014 and resolve nine national issues.
The NDC's official closing ceremony will be held in Yemen on Saturday, and will be attended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi, and Gulf Co-operation Council Secretary-General Abdul Latif al-Zayani, in addition to representatives of the 10 countries sponsoring the Gulf initiative facilitating Yemen's transition of power and the reconciliation process in the country.
"The success of the conference is a success for all Yemenis, and its outputs will serve as a roadmap for completing the remaining tasks in the transitional period and beyond," NDC Secretary-General Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak told Al-Shorfa.
"Conference members, who represent all political forces in the arena, unanimously agreed that President [Abd Rabbu Mansour] Hadi remain in office until the end of the transitional phase," he said.
According to the Gulf initiative and its executive mechanism, President Hadi's mandate ends with the inauguration of the president-elect pursuant to the new constitution, bin Mubarak added.
"Yemen will witness new bold decisions in accordance with the document of guarantees, including cabinet changes to the national reconciliation government that the [national dialogue] conference imposed on President Hadi to meet the challenges of the current phase, through a government capable of implementing the outputs of the NDC on the ground," he said.
Bin Mubarak said the NDC ran into great difficulties: "We almost lost hope at some points during the dialogue, especially in relation to questions of the south and Saada, but in the end we overcame all difficulties through the co-operation of all the political forces, which were eager to lead Yemen out of the predicament it is in."
'YOUR HONEST AND SINCERE EFFORTS WERE MET WITH SUCCESS'
NDC participants had been divided into nine working groups to find solutions to key difficulties facing Yemen: the issues of southern Yemen; Saada; rights and freedoms; the independence of specialized government entities; sound governance; defence and security; sustainable development; environmental issues; and issues of national importance and transitional justice.
On the last day of the national dialogue, the Ansar Allah movement from Saada pulled out of the final session when their NDC representative, Ahmed Sharafeddine, was assassinated by gunmen as he drove to the conference, Yemen's official Saba news agency reported.
On the same day, the son of NDC member Abdul Wahab al-Ansi, who heads al-Islah Party, was injured when an improvised explosive device targeted his father's car in Sanaa, AFP reported.
President Hadi said in his speech in the closing session that the Ansar Allah delegates had informed him that they approve of all the outputs and documents of the NDC.
The NDC sessions had been followed by the entire world and reflect the vision of the new Yemen, and the final document is "100% Yemeni", he said.
The national march towards the future, safety, stability and unity of Yemen will continue, he said. "Everyone must believe that the forces of good, justice and fairness are stronger and nobler than the forces of evil and aggression that are committing these shameful crimes."
"We meet once again today in the closing session of our conference after all your honest and sincere efforts were met with success," the president said. "You succeeded in the final plenary session in approving the working groups' final reports on transitional justice, the southern issue and state-building, and also in ratifying the NDC's final document."
CONFERENCE OUTPUTS
The conference approved the establishment of a federal Yemeni republic composed of several regions, said Abdullah Lamlas, rapporteur to the NDC presidency.
The system of government of the federal authority will be presidential, and in the regions it will be parliamentary, with an electoral system based on proportional representation, he told Al-Shorfa.
Lamlas said he expects President Hadi to issue a decree naming the regions after forming a committee under his chairmanship to study the regional division of Yemen, as mandated by the NDC.
"The priorities for the upcoming post-dialogue stage include implementing its outputs, in particular the formation of a committee to draft the constitution, which will have about three months to complete its work, followed by a referendum on the constitution, after which Yemen will need about a year to prepare for new elections, which will mark the end of the transitional phase," he said.
NDC Deputy Secretary-General Yasser al-Ruaini spoke with Al-Shorfa about the establishment of the state and elections.
"This phase will include legislative and procedural tasks including the issuance of the judicial authority law, the formation of the constitutional court, issuance of required legislation and arrangements for the transition from a [unitary] state to a federal state, in accordance with the new constitution," he said.
The upcoming stage will witness fundamental changes to the government, al-Ruaini said.
The Shura Council will be expanded to ensure all political and social groups -- including youth, women and civil society organizations -- that participated in the NDC are represented in the same proportion they were during the conference, with southern representatives ensured a proportion of 50%, he added.
The conclusion of the conference represents a "safe exit for all Yemenis", said NDC member Issam al-Qaisi.
This will ensure that all components participate in governing the country based on the dialogue's document, he said.
Source: al-Shorfa.
Link: http://al-shorfa.com/en_GB/articles/meii/features/2014/01/24/feature-02.
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