Yemen ousted leaders meddling would not be tolerated

Britain’s ambassador to UN Mark Lyall Grant says the UN Security Council statement is a clear message to former Yemeni ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh and his associates that interference in Yemen’s political transition would not be tolerated.

In a Friday statement, the 15-member council expressed “concern over reports of interference in the transition by individuals in Yemen representing the former regime.”

The British UN envoy warned against actions aimed at undermining a national dialogue conference in the Asian country.

“What [Saleh] should not do is undermine the political transition, the national dialogue, which is fully supported by all the international community,” Grant said.

Yemen’s former dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh formally stepped down and handed over power to then Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi in February 2012.

The power transfer occurred under a Saudi-backed deal brokered by the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council in April 2011 and signed by Saleh in Riyadh on November 23, 2011.

Earlier this month, Hadi announced that a national dialogue will kick off on March 18 after being delayed numerous times due to disputes among the country’s political parties.