US official urges ‘immediate’ power transfer in Yemen

SANAA (AFP) – Top US official Jeffrey Feltman called Thursday for an “immediate” transfer of power in Yemen after he met the Arab nation’s Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, in comments to reporters in Sanaa.

“We continue to believe that an immediate, peaceful, and orderly transition is in the best interest of the Yemeni people,” said Feltman, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.

“We urge all sides to engage in dialogue that peacefully moves Yemen forward,” he said.

Feltman’s statements come amid growing local and international pressure on Hadi to assume power after embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh was flown to Riyadh for treatment for wounds suffered when a bomb exploded as he prayed at his palace mosque earlier this month