UN chief pledges support for Yemeni government efforts to stabilize country, hold elections

SANAA, Yemen – The U.N. chief has pledged support for the Yemeni government's efforts to stabilize the country and transition to democracy.

Ban Ki-moon held talks with President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi on Monday in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, during a visit to the impoverished Arabian Peninsula nation.

Ban says he is convinced Yemen will "overcome all its problems and hurdles" and prepare for 2014 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Yemen's weak central government has struggled with an al-Qaida insurgency after longtime leader Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down earlier this year in a U.S.-backed deal negotiated by the Gulf Arab countries.

Hadi says the Yemeni people, with the support of the international community, will not allow anyone to impede the efforts to shape the "future and the country's political system."