Ban welcomes launch of national dialogue in Yemen

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the official launch of the preparatory process for the national dialogue conference in Yemen, his spokesperson said. \"The national dialogue will be an opportunity for all actors in Yemen to collectively establish a new social contract and achieve national reconciliation,\" Ban\'s spokesperson added in a statement. Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi has appointed a representative preparatory committee tasked with preparing the ground for the conference; and Ban commended him, as well as the Government and people of Yemen, for \"their determination to keep the transition process on track,\" the spokesperson said. The UN has been providing support in Yemen\'s transition in four key areas: political facilitation; technical support; capacity-building; and a public information and awareness campaign.