UN envoy to Yemen announces 'progress' in talks

UN special envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar said on Wednesday in the southern city of Aden that there has been "progress" in the political talks between the various Yemeni factions.

In a press statement, Benomar said that a "consensus" has begun to "crystallise" on the formation of an executive and legislative authority, but warned that a final agreement was yet to be reached, Efe news agency reported.

The international envoy, who arrived in Aden from Sanaa, reiterated that "peaceful negotiations" were the only way to resolve the current political crisis in Yemen.

Conflict in Yemen has dominated the political stage since the Shia Houthi rebel movement seized control of the capital Sanaa last September, and since President Abdel Rabu Mansour Hadi fled to the southern city of Aden in February.

Benomar also stated that all parties involved in the conflict were contacted to create inclusive, comprehensive discussions without legitimising any group that promotes violence.

"The dialogue we support should not grant legitimacy to those who use violence," said Benomar.

More explicitly, he warned that there were "extremist elements" from various factions who actively seek to derail the negotiations.

Benomar also noted that such issues were included in the report on Yemen recently presented to the UN Security Council, and stressed that no group can succeed in imposing control over all regions of Yemen.

The UN envoy further insisted that anyone who "believes in the use of military force is pushing the country towards a long struggle like that happening in Libya and Syria".