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Yemen president agrees Gulf plan to resign
[Al Jazeera] Yemen's embattled president President-for-Life  Ali Abdullah Saleh... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, after serving as a lieutenant colonel in the army. He had been part of the conspiracy that bumped off his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Hamdi, in the usual tiresome military coup, and he has maintained power by keeping Yemen's many tribes fighting with each other, rather than uniting to string him up. ... has agreed to a deal by Gulf Arab mediators that would lead to a transition of power in the country after weeks of anti-government protests. Tariq Shami, a presidential aide, told Al Jizz on Saturday that the president had agreed in principle to a proposal from the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) for him to step down. The GCC plan would see Saleh submit his resignation to parliament within 30 days, with a presidential vote to be held within two months. Shami said the opposition must first agree to the deal in order for Saleh to accept the plan. "The president has agreed and accepted the initiative of the GCC," he said. "The transition of power in Yemen will take some time. It needs an agreement between the national powers and the opposition at the same time. This thing will happen within 60 days if we have an agreement." The White House welcomed Saturday a plan for Yemen's longtime President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down, urging all sides to "swiftly" implement a peaceful transfer of power. "We applaud the announcements by the Yemeni Government and the opposition that they have accepted the GCC-brokered agreement to resolve the political crisis in a peaceful and orderly manner," said Jay Carney, White House front man. Mohammed Qahtan, an opposition front man, told Al Jizz that the opposition parties also welcome the deal. He said a basis of trust is lacking for the opposition to join a national unity government, but he said the opposition would start a conversation regardless. "The vice-president will take over for a certain period and then we will see what happens," he said. Posted by: Fred 2011-04-24 |
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