UN urges Yemen's Houthis to engage in negotiations

UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations Security Council on Sunday adopted a resolution on Yemen, deploring the actions of the country's Shiite Houthi group to dissolve the parliament and urging them to engage in UN-brokered negotiations.

In a unanimously adopted resolution, the Security Council reiterated its call for all parties in Yemen to resolve their differences through dialogue and consultation and reject acts of violence to achieve political goals.

While urging all parties to abide by the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and the Mechanism for implementation, the Security Council asked all parties, the Houthis in particular, to accelerate inclusive UN-brokered negotiations and to continue the political transition in order to reach a consensus solution in accordance with the mechanism.

The council also demanded the Houthis to "immediately and unconditionally" engage in the UN-brokered talks and withdraw their forces from government institutions, and restore the normal security situation in the national capital of Sanaa and other provinces, as well as to relinquish government security institutions.

On Feb 6, the Houthi group announced a unilateral move to dissolve the parliament of Yemen and form a presidential council to take over power, which was rejected by Yemen's political parties and denounced by the Gulf Arab states.

Security situation deteriorated in Yemen since January when the Shiite Houthi group seized the presidential palace in Sanaa after deadly clashes with presidential guards. President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and Prime Minister Khaled Bahah submitted resignations on Jan 22.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council at a meeting held Thursday that "Yemen is collapsing before our eyes," while urging the international community to "do everything possible" to help the country step back from the brink of anarchy.

"Given these troubling circumstances," Ban said, "we must do everything possible to help Yemen step back from the brink and get the political process back on track."

The Shiite Houthi group, also known as Ansarullah and based in the far northern province of Saada, has been expanding its influence southward after signing a UN-sponsored peace and power-sharing deal on Sept 21, 2014 following week-long deadly clashes.