US pushes ‘immediate transition’ in Yemen

AFP/Sanaa

Yemeni anti-government protesters shout slogans during a demonstration demanding the ousting of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the southern city of Taiz yesterday

US deputy national security advisor John Brennan pushed for an immediate transition in Yemen during two days of talks with high level government officials in Sanaa, the US embassy there said yesterday. “It is essential for all parties to participate in a peaceful political process in order to address the urgent needs of the Yemeni people for improved social, economic and security conditions,” he said. Brenner met with Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi and Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, as well as military officials, opposition party leaders and members of civil society, among others. In his meetings, Brenner reiterated US support for the immediate implementation of a “transition that serves the aspirations of the Yemeni people,” an embassy statement said. The senior aide to US President Barack Obama called Sunday on Yemen’s injured President Ali Abdullah Saleh to sign a deal transferring power, during a face-to-face meeting in Saudi Arabia. The US, which had viewed Saleh as a key ally in its “war on terror,” has warned of the threat posed by Islamist militancy in Yemen and repeatedly voiced concern over the country’s potential to become a new staging ground for Al-Qaeda.