Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh's government aims to hold elections in January 2012, German diplomatic sources in Washington said, dpa reported.
German Development Minister Dirk Niebel had earlier met with Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Abdallah al-Qirbi on the sidelines of the World Bank annual meetings to discuss an escalation of violence by Saleh's regime since the leader made a surprise return from Saudi Arabia earlier this week.
Niebel said Saleh's return was "not the signal for which the German government had hoped" and called for an end to the violence and true political dialogue.
The World Bank has set aside development work in Yemen in the face of the political uncertainty. Only a few water projects have continued with the aid of local experts and without participation by the Yemeni government.