Yemen's president warns against wasting dialogue opportunity

Yemen's president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi Yemen's president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi on Wednesday warned political groups against wasting what he described as a "historic opportunity" to resolve the country's problems through the national dialogue conference. He was speaking after a number of dialogue sessions were postponed due to the Southern Movement's decision to boycott the conference.
On Wednesday afternoon, there was minor civil disobedience in some southern cities as former vice-president Ali Salim al-Beidh reiterated his demand for the secession of the south from the north and an independent state of South Yemen.
President Hadi told delegates in Sanaa:  "All the national political groups have a significant opportunity in Yemen's modern history, to work on the completion of this grand national project [the dialogue], and not to waste this unique opportunity."
Hadi's words came amid fears that the dialogue had failed, two weeks before it is scheduled to end.
According to government sources, Hadi met officials from the Conciliation Commission of the National Dialogue Conference (NDC), and discussed outcomes of the conference.
He pointed to a comprehensive agreement on most of the dialogue's outcomes that would lead to a new social contract based on good governance, equitable distribution of power and wealth, justice, freedom, equality and Yemeni unification.
"We will achieve a unique exceptional success that makes Yemen a model esteemed by the entire world. A success that meets the people's aspirations aimed at ending the country's crisis and problems towards prosperity, stability and security, in a modern civil Yemeni state."
Meanwhile, sources close to the conference said that the head of the southern representatives, Mohammed Ali Ahmed, flew to London, to pressure Hadi into accepting his conditions.
Southern Movement politicians have boycotted the dialogue sessions for two weeks, making Hadi’s mission more difficult, and threatening the collapse of the transition process.
The southern cities witnessed minor civil disobedience on Wednesday afternoon, with some roads being blocked, and the market being closed amid tight security.