UN Envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar has said there is a consensus in the UN Security Council on the need for the success of Yemen's political settlement, pointing out that It threatened with sanctions against impeders of the GCC-mediated power transfer deal.
"There are a real impediments and attacks on oil, gas and electricity lines and these attacks cost the improvised state about $250,000,000 monthly" Benomar said in an interview with Alarabya TV. "This is a crime against the Yemeni people."
"Some recent acts and behaviors indicate that there are hindrance of the political settlement" he added. He affirmed that Yemen suffers of painful humanitarian crisis, urging the global world to assist it and emphasizing that Yemen will have a new electoral system and competitive elections in the next phase.
He singled out that the war with Al-Qaeda in Yemen needs a progress in the political settlement, calling, in the meantime, the Saada-based Houthi group to turn to a political party.
Benomar's remarks came one day after the storm against the Interior Ministry in which about a number of Yemeni soldiers were killed and wounded as gunmen loyal to the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh tried to take control on the ministry.
During his repeated visits to Yemen, Benomar could persuade some relatives of Saleh to hand over their positions to newly appointed military heads.
Media sources said Benomar threatened Saleh and his family with imposing sanctions against them if they continue impeding decrees of Hadi and the interim government.