[Yemen Post] Yemen's ex-president President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it...
has asked the United Arab Emirates and the international community to give him $50 million in return for his acceptance to stay in the Gulf state, alahale reported on Thursday, quoting western diplomatic sources.
"The sum was big forcing the UAE stay silent and avoid a reply over its approval to host Saleh," the website said.
Two months ago, the UAE agreed to host Saleh during the two-year transitional period in his country after pressure by the US and Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in their national face...
, but later reports surfaced Saleh might stay in Russia or Æthiopia.
Also, the UAE agreed to host Saleh within the efforts to help Yemen continue a power transfer deal brokered by the GCC countries and backed by the West. The deal saw Saleh leave office in November after 33 years.
Earlier this week, reports said Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi had handed the Æthiopian government a written approval of Yemen's President Abdrabu Mansour Hadi for the African country to host Saleh. Æthiopia demanded the written approval of Hadi, reports said.
The ten countries sponsoring the deal including the GCC, the US, EU have been exercising pressure on Saleh to stop meddling and his relatives, especially senior military commanders, to respect presidential decrees replacing them.