U.N. Chief in Yemen to Mark Anniversary of Transition Deal

U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon arrived in Yemen on Monday to mark the first anniversary of a transition deal that resulted in strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh handing over power, media and diplomats said.

On his first visit to the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country, the U.N. Secretary General will hold talks with President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi and Gulf Cooperation Council head Abdul Latif al-Zayani who is also in Sanaa, according to official news agency SABA.

A U.N. official in Sanaa meanwhile said Ban's visit was to mark "the first anniversary of Yemen's peace and transition agreement," which forced Saleh to step down after 33 years in power.

Ambassadors from the five permanent Security Council members and envoys from neighboring Arab Gulf monarchies are also expected to meet Ban to assess progress on implementing the U.N. and GCC-backed agreement, a local diplomat said.

The deal, signed in Riyadh on November 23 last year after months of anti-government protests and deadly clashes between pro and anti-Saleh troops, brought Hadi to power for an interim two-year period in a single-candidate vote.

It also called for a national dialogue where all parties, including the opposition, youth and northern rebels are expected to come together and agree on a new constitution and on the next presidential and parliamentary elections.

The dialogue was scheduled for mid-November of this year, but has not yet begun, with no reason for the delay and no new date announced.

Hadi has repeatedly urged all parties in Yemen to join the critical talks, but the Southern Movement, an influential alliance of groups seeking autonomy or independence for the south, said on October 3 it would not attend.