The influential figures are demanding a transitional unity government that would see the opposition represented in key ministries, followed by elections in six months.
They say the move would place Yemen in the same situation as Egypt and Tunisia, without suffering bloodshed.
Their comments on Thursday came amid fresh festivities between thousands of pro- and anti-government protesters in Sanaa, the capital.
Dozens of pro-democracy protesters, including two suffering gunshot wounds, have been injured in the confrontations.
"Police are trying to form lines to separate protesters and pro-government supporters - but they're also attempting to disperse crowds with live ammunition, a sign of the very tense situation in the capital ahead of calls for tomorrow's 'Friday of Fury'," said Hashem Ahelbara, Al Jizz's correspondent in Sanaa.
Loyalists of the government wielding batons and daggers chased a group of protesters meeting at the city's university, witnesses said. At least five people were maimed in the violence there.
Municipal vehicles ferried sticks and stones to the pro-government side, witnesses among the estimated 6,000-strong crowd said.
"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. ...
is meeting daily with powerful tribal chiefs in areas surrounding the capital, telling them he needs their support for this crucial moment," said Ahelbara.
"He has struck a very harsh tone, describing the protesters as 'anarchists'.
"His entourage is telling media that the situation here is very different to Egypt and Tunisia - and if this country degenerates into violence, it could end up in a very, very difficult situation.
"People here are armed across the country. Tribes have caches of weapons - and the situation here could become much, much worse."
Ahelbara said that distrustful protesters have rejected the president's calls to wait for elections in 2013, saying: "The only way is for us to keep fighting in the streets to bring about the dramatic changes that have taken place in Tunisia and Egypt." Demonstrators are also continuing to protest in the southern city of Taiz.