U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon confirmed Wednesday the appointment of Jamal Benomar as his special adviser on Yemen, giving him the rank of assistant secretary-general. "U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has today confirmed the appointment of Jamal Benomar as his Special Adviser on Yemen, at the level of Assistant Secretary-General, to lead strengthened good offices for Yemen during the country's transition," Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky said at a news briefing.