Yemen's Saleh due to Sign Transition Deal

By Mohamed Sudam and Mohammed Ghobari | Reuters



Yemen's president was to sign an agreement on Saturday to quit power in a month's time in exchange for immunity in a deal that, if implemented, would make him the third Arab ruler ousted by a wave of popular uprisings.

Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state for nearly 33 years, has in principle accepted the agreement negotiated by his oil-exporting neighbors in the six-state Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Yemen's main opposition coalition, which includes both Islamists and leftists, has also agreed to the deal, even as street protesters have rejected the agreement and demand Saleh step down immediately and face prosecution. 





Millions have been demonstrating for the past 3 months asking for Saleh to leave office after 33 years in office

Saleh, a shrewd political operator long considered a U.S. ally against al Qaeda's Yemen-based wing, has forced mediators to split the signing ceremonies over two days and has objected to the presence of Qatari officials.

Qatar's prime minister was first to state publicly the Gulf deal would seek Saleh's resignation, and its satellite TV channel Al Jazeera has been blamed by Saleh for inciting revolt in the Arab world, swept by pro-democracy protests.

While the Yemeni leader signs the pact in Sanaa, his party's vice president will travel to the Saudi capital Riyadh for Sunday's official signing ceremony by the opposition, which has warned that further bloodshed could derail the deal.

The Secretary-General of the GCC, Abdullatif al-Zayani, arrived in Sanaa to deliver the initiative to Saleh for him to ratify later in the day, a government official said.
 


From CSID (Center for the Study of Islam and Development)
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