Department of State Undersecretary for Political Affairs visits Yemen

January 25, 2012

On January 25, Department of State Undersecretary for Political Affairs, Ambassador Wendy Sherman, visited Yemen for meetings with senior government officials and civil society leaders. Ambassador Sherman’s visit is the first by a senior U.S. Government official since the signing of the GCC Initiative on November 23.

Ambassador Sherman met with Vice President Abdo Rabu Mansoor Hadi, Prime Minister Mohammed Basindwa, and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Defense, Oil, Finance, Information, and Planning. In her meetings with government officials, Ambassador Sherman expressed U.S. support for Yemen’s political transition and outlined U.S. government assistance to support the presidential elections.

In a roundtable with civil society leaders, Ambassador Sherman emphasized the importance of civil society, youth, and women in Yemen’s political transition. She called on all Yemenis to fully engage with the National Consensus Government and to participate in elections and the National Dialogue process.

Ambassador Sherman became the Undersecretary for Political Affairs on September 21, 2011. Prior to this position, she served as a foreign policy advisor to President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and was Vice Chair of the Albright Group international policy consulting firm.January 25, 2011

On January 25, Department of State Undersecretary for Political Affairs, Ambassador Wendy Sherman, visited Yemen for meetings with senior government officials and civil society leaders. Ambassador Sherman’s visit is the first by a senior U.S. Government official since the signing of the GCC Initiative on November 23.