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Arabia

Party Time! Soddy planes strike Houthi secret meeting

2016-01-20

Arab Coalition warplanes intensified strikes targeting a secret meeting of Houthi leaders, killing several of them, reported Al Bayan. Military sources said Houthi militia and forces loyal to ousted President Saleh are terrified by the presence of military units of national army and Arab Coalition on mountains near Sana'a. Therefore, the rebels have spread hundreds of their troops near the capital. Meanwhile, Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, on Monday met Abdul Jalil Al Mukhlafi, Deputy Prime Minister of Yemen and Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is on a visit to the UAE. During the meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), they discussed developments in Yemen and progress of the political progress as systematic hurdles created by the rebels continue to block international efforts and make it difficult to set the next date for the meeting. The parties stressed the importance of continuing political efforts based on Resolution No. 2216, the Gulf Co-operation Council initiative and the outcome of the National Dialogue. They discussed humanitarian developments and stressed that the situation should be addressed with resolve especially because the rebels continue to procrastinate over the issue. The parties also discussed regional and international efforts for Yemeni issue.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

'Friends of Syria' set for Marrakech

2012-12-11

[Magharebia] The "Friends of Syria" group will meet in Morocco on Wednesday, AFP reported on Monday (December 10th). Arab and Western states will consider two key issues concerning the 21-month Syria conflict: the political transition in the event of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad's Leveler of Latakia... exit, and the mobilisation of humanitarian aid as winter sets in. More than 100 delegations are expected to attend the Marrakech event. Wednesday's meeting will reportedly address ways of supporting the National Coalition. The Gulf Co-operation Council, La Belle France, Britannia and Turkey have all formally recognised the coalition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

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Arabia

Saleh arrives in Saudi Arabia

2011-06-05

[Al Jazeera] President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh, ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower... Yemen's president, has arrived in Riyadh for medical treatment, a day after he was injured in an attack on his compound, the Saudi royal court said in a statement. "The Yemeni president has arrived along with officials and citizens who had received different injuries for treatment in Soddy Arabia," the royal court said on Sunday. Saleh will be treated for wounds received on Friday in a rocket attack on his presidential palace - an assault that marked a major escalation in a conflict building towards full civil war. Al Jizz has learned he had arrived at King Khalid Air Base in Riyadh and been transferred to a military hospital. The embattled leader suffered "burns and scratches to the face and chest," an official said after the ruling General People's Congress said he was "lightly maimed in the back of the head." Meanwhile, ...back at the abandoned silver mine, the water was up to Jack's neck and still rising... sources told Al Jizz that vice-president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has taken over as acting president and supreme commander of the armed forces. The extent of Saleh's injuries has been a matter of intense speculation. When the rocket struck the mosque in his presidential compound and splintered the pulpit, he was surrounded by senior government officials and bodyguards. Eleven guards died, and five officials standing nearby were seriously maimed and taken to Soddy Arabia. The president delivered an audio address afterward, his voice labored, with only an old photo shown. One-week truce Earlier on Saturday, sources said a powerful Yemeni tribal federation battling Saleh's security forces and forces loyal to him agreed to abide to a Saudi-brokered one-week truce. Mohammed al-Jendi, the Yemeni deputy minister of information, told Al Jizz that Saleh had been injured but that "his health is fine and there is nothing to be concerned about". In an audio address delivered on state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe? late on Friday night, Saleh said the attack was carried out by an "outlaw gang", referring to the Hashed tribal federation led by Sadiq al-Ahmar, a powerful dissident primitive. Al-Ahmar's fighters have been battling government forces in the capital since a truce crumbled on Tuesday. Witnesses said sporadic shelling and rocketfire on Saturday rattled the al-Hasaba district of northern Sanaa where al-Ahmar has his base, forcing residents to flee. The area is suffering from water and electricity cuts. Elsewhere in Yemen, officials said police and military units have withdrawn from the southern city of Taiz after a week of festivities with pro-reform demonstrators that left dozens dead. "Looting and scenes of chaos are spreading after the withdrawal of security forces and the army from the city," the opposition leader, who asked not to be named, told Rooters news agency. Tareq al-Shami, a ruling party official, confirmed the government's security forces had pulled back from the city which is about 200km south of the capital. The UN human rights ...which often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... chief said her office was investigating reports that as many as 50 have been killed in Taiz since Sunday. Al-Ahmar denial Abdul Ghani al-Iryani, an independent political analyst in Sanaa, told Al Jizz that it was "quite reasonable to assume" that al-Ahmar's fighters were behind the palace hit on Friday. "[The rustics] probably wanted him to know that [Saleh] can no longer attack them with impunity, and that they can reach him as he can reach them," al-Iryani said. But al-Ahmar's office denied responsibility and instead blamed Saleh for the attack, calling it part of his effort to help justify a government escalation of street fighting in the capital. Ten people were killed and 35 others injured in southern Sanaa on Friday as Yemeni troops shelled the home of Hamid al-Ahmar, the brother of Sadiq al-Ahmar, Hamid's office said on Saturday. Hamid, a prominent businessman, is a leader of Yemen's biggest opposition party, Al-Islah (reform). The shelling in Hada neighbourhood also targeted the homes of Sadiq's two other brothers, Hemyar and Mizhij, and that of Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a dissident army general. The US has condemned Friday's violence, including the attack on the Saleh's palace, and called for him to transfer power. "We call on all sides to cease hostilities immediately and to pursue an orderly and peaceful process of transferring political power as called for in the GCC-brokered agreement," the White House said, referring to the Gulf Co-operation Council. Yemen's parliamentary opposition on Saturday called for an "immediate" ceasefire. The Common Forum alliance condemned what it said was the "the dangerous twist which the festivities have taken in targeting the homes of citizens, the presidential palace, and vital installations". The alliance of parliamentary opposition groups urged "quick action" from the international community "to save Yemen and its people from falling into [civil] war", in the statement. Meanwhile, ...back at the wrecked scow, a single surviver held tightly to the smashed prow... Germany said it had ordered the immediate closure of its embassy in Yemen "because of current developments." "The embassy team that is still on the ground will leave the country as soon as it is possible and safe," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

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Arabia

Yemen truce collapses

2011-06-01

[Al Jazeera] A tenuous truce declared a few days ago to end street fighting in the Yemeni capital between tribal groups and forces loyal to president President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower... has broken down, sending the country closer to the brink of civil war. "The ceasefire agreement has ended," a government official said on Tuesday without giving further details. The announcement came as overnight festivities in Sanaa killed many people and left dozens injured. Sources told Al Jizz that the heaviest shelling took place near the interior ministry building and the house of Sadiq al-Ahmar, a powerful tribal leader ranged against President-for-Life Saleh. ... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence... They said forces loyal to Saleh, under pressure from protesters to quit and end his 33-year rule, fired tens of shells and missiles from a mountain near the house of al-Ahmar. A journalist from Sanaa told Al Jizz the fighting was the fiercest the capital had seen in a long time. "People are leaving, several homes were burned and tribal forces took over some government buildings and cop shoppes," the journalist said. Protesters 'rubbed out' Meanwhile, ...back at the sea battle, the Terror of the Baltic's career had come to an abrupt and watery end... security forces reportedly rubbed out at least two anti-government protesters in Yemen's second-largest city of Taiz on Tuesday, witnesses said. They said that security forces were attempting to prevent anyone from gathering in the city, firing on those who tried to do so. Medics confirmed that at least two people had been killed. Tuesday's deaths came after protesters said security forces smashed a four-month-long sit-in in Taiz on Monday, killing 21 protesters. According to reports received by the UN, more than 50 protesters have been killed in Taiz since Sunday. "The UN human rights ...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you... office has received reports, which remain to be fully verified, that more than 50 people have been killed since Sunday in Taiz by Yemeni Army, Elite Republican Guards and other government-affiliated elements," UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said. The latest violence follows the death of at least 30 people, reportedly killed by air strikes in the southern city of Zinjibar, which is said to be controlled by fighters linked to al-Qaeda. The air attack on Monday appeared to be in response to Sunday's takeover of the city by 300 alleged al-Qaeda gunnies and an overnight ambush that killed at least six Yemeni soldiers and injured dozens more who were travelling to the southern city. "Civilians found a military car and an armoured vehicle. They were destroyed, and the bodies of six soldiers were found on the roadside," Ayman Mohamed Nasser, editor-in-chief of Attariq, Aden's main opposition paper, told the Rooters news agency by telephone. Opposition leaders have accused Saleh of deliberately allowing Zinjibar, near a sea lane where about 3 million barrels of oil pass daily, to fall to al-Qaeda in a bid to show how chaotic Yemen would be without him. Global powers have also been pressing Saleh to sign a deal brokered by Arab Gulf states under their umbrella organisation, the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), to hand over power. Under the deal, Saleh was to hand over power in 30 days and be granted immunity from prosecution. The opposition signed the deal but Saleh refused to sign it. Fears over al-Qaeda The deal was aimed at stemming the growing chaos in Yemen, home to al-Qaeda gunnies and neighbour to the world's biggest oil exporter, Soddy Arabia. The United States and Soddy Arabia, both targets of attacks by Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, are worried that chaos is emboldening the group. Saleh has been losing support as protests continued. A breakaway military group called for other army units to join them in the fight to bring Saleh down. Under Saleh, Yemen has moved to the brink of financial collapse, with about 40 percent of the population living on less than $2 a day and a third facing chronic hunger. At least 320 people have been killed in fighting in Yemen since protests calling for Saleh to end his rule started about four months ago, inspired by the popular uprisings that ended the reign of the long-standing rulers of Tunisia and Egypt.

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Arabia

Saleh calls for early Yemen elections

2011-05-21

[Al Jazeera] Yemen's president has called for early presidential elections, a day after making yet another promise to sign a deal that would end his decades-long rule. Speaking to supporters after Friday prayers in the capital, Sanaa, President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower... said that he wanted to hold an early election to end the country's political crisis. "We call for an early presidential election in a democratic way, in order to avoid bloodshed," Saleh told thousands of supporters. Saleh also appeared to lay the groundwork for his followers to prepare to relinquish some control over government. "Your General People's Congress will remain both in power and out of power and ... will educate them [the opposition] how to be a responsible opposition. No cutting roads, no cutting tongues, no treachery," he said. It is unclear whether such an election would occur under a deal mediated by the Gulf Co-operation Council, or if Saleh was making an alternative proposal. The GCC brings together six Gulf states - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Soddy Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The opposition has accused the embattled leader of stalling after he previously rejected the agreement on two occasions. Yemen continues to reel from three months of street protests that have seen tens of thousands of people massing in Sanaa, the focal point of demonstrations demanding the president's ouster. Taiz and the port city of Aden have also been scenes of mass protests. Refusal to sign Saleh's call for elections came after Ahmed al-Sufi, his front man, said on Thursday that he was ready to sign the agreement on Sunday for the transfer of power. The president had a day earlier backed out of the agreement that would allow for him to leave power in exchange for immunity from prosecution. The refusal prompted Abdul-Latif al-Zayyani, the GCC's chief, to leave the country, although Al-Sufi said he would return to attend the newly scheduled signing on Sunday. According to the front man, Saleh had changed his mind due to the application of strong diplomatic pressure from Gulf and other countries. Saleh's previous pullback from promises to sign the deal has been on matters of constitutional technicality. On Wednesday, he said he was not willing to accept Mohammed Basindwa, an opposition figure tipped as a possible interim prime minister, as a signatory to the deal, on the grounds that Basindwa, an independent, was not a member of a "legally recognised [party]" in parliament. The GCC did not confirm that any deal would be signed on Sunday, only saying that its foreign ministers would be meeting on that day in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, to discuss the situation. Al-Zayyani would be attending that meeting, it said. The Yemeni opposition has dismissed Saleh's promise to sign as a way of delaying his exit. 'We're not afraid' "If the president decides to sign on Sunday, nothing will stop him," opposition front man Mohammed al-Sabri said. "We are sure that the president is playing games with time." Al-Sabri said the GCC must take a clear position on whether or not Saleh was in favour of the decision. "They cannot go along with the president's strategies to gain more time," he said. Protests, meanwhile, continued on Friday in Sanaa with demonstrators vowing not to give up. "We will continue to protest, despite our awareness that we could be killed or placed in durance vile. We are not afraid," said activist Tawakul Karman. A violent crackdown on the protests by government forces has reportedly killed more than 150 people. Yemen's central government was already weak before the protests began, dealing with a rebellion in the north, a secessionist movement in the south and the presence of al-Qaeda gunnies in its weakly governed provinces. The United States, which considers Yemen a key ally in fighting al-Qaeda, appears to have backed away from supporting Saleh, with Barack B.O. Obama, the president, calling on him to stand down. In a speech regarding US policy in the Arab world on Thursday, Obama referred directly to the situation in Yemen, saying: "President-for-Life Saleh ... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence... needs to follow through on his commitment to transfer power.''

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Arabia

Yemen rivals to sign deal to end crisis: Saleh aide

2011-05-19

[Dawn] Yemen's political rivals have agreed to sign a Gulf-brokered plan Wednesday to end the country's bloody political crisis, the president's aid told Al-Arabiya television, but the opposition expressed doubts whether it would happen. When asked if the agreement would be signed Wednesday, President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh's ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower... aide Ahmed al-Sufi said: "Yes, it will be today." There has been 'positive' and 'important progress.' But parliamentary opposition Mohammed Qahtan said a break in the impasse between the two sides had been reached on Tuesday night, and then Saleh's sign backed away. "If the initiative was unchanged" from its initial version, "we will sign," Qahtan said. "We came to an agreement late Tuesday but this morning they changed their minds," Qahtan told AFP, adding that Saleh and his partisans 'refuse' to sign it this way. "The disagreement is on who will sign from the opposition," said Qahtan. However, The contradictory However... "there's an agreement on the time frame." Yemen has been gripped by deadly protests since late January calling for the ouster of Saleh, who has been in power since 1978. Besides an al Qaeda resurgence, the impoverished country is battling a secessionist movement in the south and a Shiite rebellion in the north. Saleh has been insisting that, under the constitution, he should serve out his current term of office, which expires in 2013. Last Thursday, however, Washington called on him to sign the deal "now." For weeks, the agreement has been held up by Saleh refusing to sign in his capacity as president. He has insisted on endorsing the deal only as leader of the ruling General People's Congress, contrary to the demands of the opposition. Talks are ongoing, said Qahtan, adding that the opposition will meet Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Abdullatif al Zayani later on Wednesday. On Tuesday, GPC front man Tareq al-Shami told AFP: "We have discussed with .... al Zayani the mechanism to implement a plan to end the crisis." "This plan needs a time frame to implement it," said Shami. On Friday, Qahtan declared the GCC initiative was 'dead' following the pullout of Qatar, whose prime minister had angered Sanaa by saying Saleh should go. But he returned to Sanaa on Saturday in an attempt to convince both sides to sign the initiative. The six GCC states have proposed an exit plan that would see embattled Saleh out of office within 30 days. Under it, a government of national unity would be formed, Saleh would transfer power to his vice president and there would be an end to protests. In exchange, Saleh and his top aides would be granted immunity from prosecution. At least 180 people have been killed in festivities during protests against Saleh's regime that erupted in late January, according to a toll compiled from reports by activists and medics. Or maybe not... Yemen's president has for a second time backed out of a Gulf-sponsored deal to transfer power. The long awaited agreement brokered by the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) would have seen President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh stepping down within a month. Yemen's opposition had earlier said the deal would be signed on Wednesday. But the head of the GCC, a group of Gulf states, left Sanaa, the capital, without securing a signed agreement. The departure of Abdullatif al-Zayani suggested that differences remained despite the government and opposition earlier agreeing on the deal in principle. Zayani had been in Sanaa since Saturday to try to persuade the sides to sign the deal, with help from US and European diplomats. "Saleh wants to show the international community that he is not an oppressor and a dictator, that he is willing to leave power peacefully and democratically, where in reality that is not the case," Hakim al-Masmari, editor-in-chief of the Yemen Post, told Al Jizz. Masmari said Saleh's backtracking on his initial agreement "is only putting him in a bad image and showing the world that his words are not credible and that he has lied not only to the opposition but also to the GCC officials". Meanwhile, ...back at the Council of Boskone, Helmuth had turned a paler shade of blue. Star-A-Star had struck again... the White House, urged Saleh to sign and implement a transition of power deal so that the country could "move forward immediately" with political reform. John Brennan, an adviser to Barack B.O. Obama, the US president, called Saleh earlier in the day, the White House said in a statement. "Brennan noted that this transfer of power represents the best path forward for Yemen to become a more secure, unified, and prosperous nation and for the Yemeni people to realize their aspirations for peace and political reform," the statement said. Brennan also reiterated that all parties in Yemen should "refrain from violence and proceed with the transition in a peaceful and orderly manner". Earlier, Al Arabiya television had quoted an adviser to Saleh as confirming the signing would take place on Wednesday. The opposition, whose coalition includes Islamists and leftists, said that among the minor modifications in the deal were changes in who would sign and in what capacity for the opposition and for the government. "The president will sign for the government in his capacity as president of the republic and as head of the ruling party," Yahya Abu Usbua, an opposition official, told the Rooters news agency earlier. Modifications proposed by the ruling party, passed on to the opposition by diplomats, would let the ruling party appoint a unity government for the transition period until elections and would also change which opposition representative would sign the deal, the opposition leader said. But some protest groups had said they would not accept the GCC plan.

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Arabia

Saleh refuses to sign exit deal

2011-05-01

The Yemeni president has refused to sign a Gulf Arab-led agreement to give up power in exchange for legal immunity, sources say. Saturday's development was a new blow to efforts to mediate the months-old crisis between 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. ... and demonstrators inspired by protests sweeping through the Arab region to demand his overthrow. Abdul-Latif al-Zayyani, secretary-general of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), which brokered the agreement, had flown to the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, on Saturday to urge Saleh to sign the deal. Instead, he met high-level leaders of Saleh's governing political party and parliamentary bloc, where he was informed that Saleh had some reservations over the deal. Al-Zayyani was not immediately available for comment. "I can say no more!" While Yemen's opposition political parties have accepted the deal, many anti-government protesters have rejected it because of the fact that it will keep Saleh - in power for 32 years - from being tried. They called for him to be put on trial for corruption and the deaths of an estimated 142 protesters since the opposition rallies began three months ago. Fresh fatalities Saturday's developments came amid reports of more deaths of anti-government protesters. Two soldiers and four non-combatants were killed and at least another 23 were maimed during a shutdown in southern Yemen, officials said. The protesters in Aden were demanding Saleh's immediate overthrow and prosecution. The defence ministry said an officer and a soldier were killed and two more soldiers were maimed, but gave no further details as tension mounted in the restive region. Local officials said protesters opened fire on troops as they tried to dismantle roadblocks set up near Al-Mansura neighbourhood in Aden to demonstrate against Saleh's government. They said troops moved into the area from where they suspected the attack was launched and opened fire, killing at least three civilians and wounding at least another 15 more. The casualties were taken to a hospital, a medical source said. Another body was at a private hospital, raising the number of civilians killed in the area on Saturday to four, the sources said. Tensions in Yemen have surged since assailants rubbed out 12 protesters in Sanaa on Wednesday and the opposition warned that violence could derail the deal. Tens of thousands of protests erupted into the streets across Yemen on Friday, vowing to stay there until Saleh quits his post, which he held since 1978. "The people want the trial of the murderer," some anti-government demonstrators shouted. Transitional government The GCC deal stipulates that Saleh step down in a month and offers him and his entourage, including relatives who run branches of the security forces, immunity from prosecution. Analysts say the 30-day window for Saleh to resign gives plenty of time for disgruntled forces from the old guard to stir trouble in Yemen, where half of the population owns a gun and al-Qaeda has gained a foothold in its mountainous regions. The US and Soddy Arabia want the Yemen standoff resolved to avert chaos that could enable al-Qaeda to operate more freely. Should the deal go through, Saleh would appoint a prime minister from the opposition to head a transition government, which would set up presidential elections 60 days after he resigns. Saleh has in principle accepted the agreement negotiated by the six-state member GCC. His departure would make Saleh the third ruler, after Tunisia and Egypt, to be ousted by a wave of popular uprisings.

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Arabia

Bahrain expels Iran diplomat over 'spy link'

2011-04-27

[Al Jazeera] Bahrain has ordered the expulsion of a top Iranian diplomat over his alleged links to a Kuwaiti spy ring, ratcheting up already simmering tension between the Gulf neighbours. Bahrain's state news agency BNA reported on Tuesday that the Gulf Arab state had declared the second secretary in the Iranian embassy persona non grata and ordered him to leave within 72 hours. It named the official as Hujatullah Rahmani and said Iran's charge d'affaires in Bahrain was summoned on Monday to the foreign ministry to be told about the expulsion order. Iran said it reserves the right of a "reciprocal reaction" to the expulsion. "The action taken by the Bahrain foreign ministry aims to divert attention and neglect the realities... these kinds of baseless accusations are contrary to good neighbourly relations... and are in line with the divisive intention of foreigners," Ramin Mehmanparast, a foreign ministry front man, was quoted as saying on the state television's website on Tuesday. Bahrain's foreign ministry had on Monday affirmed its "rejection of any interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain and other members of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC)" - comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Soddy Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - the BNA report said. It also urged the Islamic republic to "end its irresponsible actions, which constitute a grave violation of the norms and principles governing international relations and a threat to regional security and stability". Spy ring Earlier this month, Iranian state television said. ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe? three of Tehran's diplomats and an embassy employee were expelled from Kuwait for alleged links to a spy ring said to be working for Tehran, reportedly ever since the US invasion of Iraq. Sheikh Mohammad Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah, Kuwait's foreign minister, later charged that the diplomats had proven links to the spy ring, three members of whom were condemned to death by a Kuwaiti court on March 29. Bahrain has in recent weeks accused Iran of meddling in its affairs. Tensions between the two escalated after several Gulf countries led by Soddy Arabia sent troops to Sunni-ruled Bahrain last month, freeing up the tiny kingdom's security forces to crush a Shia-led pro-democracy protest movement. Iran, predominantly a Shia nation, said on Friday it gives "moral support" to the demands of Bahrain's people but without any involvement in the protests in its Arab Gulf neighbour. On April 18, Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, accused the US of wanting to create tension between Iran and Arabs. "America and its allies are trying to create an Iranian-Arab tension, they seek to sow discord among Shia and Sunnis... but their plan will fail," he said at Iran's annual Army Day parade.

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Arabia

Yemen president agrees Gulf plan to resign

2011-04-24

[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.

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Arabia

Gulf deal 'close' on Yemen crisis

2011-04-21

[Al Jazeera] Gulf Arab states appear set to unveil details of an arrangement that could result in 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. ... stepping down as Yemen's president and end the political crisis there. Sources told Al Jizz on Wednesday that the deal - brokered by the six-member Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) - was close to being agreed. "We're told that the UK and the US are behind this deal," Kristen Saloomey, Al Jizz's correspondent at the United Nations ...an organization whose definition of human rights is interesting, to say the least... in New York, said. "It's not clear right now where the opposition and the president stand on this deal, but our sources here at [the UN] feel that they are very close to reaching a final agreement." Under the GCC proposal, Saleh would most likely hand power to Abed Mansour Hadi, his vice-president, and both Saleh and his family would have immunity from prosecution. Saleh, who came to power in 1978, has faced protests since January calling for his departure that have cost more than 130 lives in the impoverised Arab country. Even as a deal appeared close, Saleh was reported as telling a group of supporters that he would remain steadfast and would not accept "conspiracies or coups". "Those who want power or to gain the seat of power should do it by heading to the ballot box. Change and departure will be through voting under the legal framework of the constitution," he was quoted as saying by Yemen's official state news agency. The expected deal on Yemen comes a day after GCC foreign ministers met a Yemeni government delegation in the United Arab Emirates. There were fears that little progress had been made at the meeting after a brief, vague statement was issued calling the meeting "constructive" and vowing to "exert more effort to preserve security, stability and the unity of the Yemeni state", but offering few details. Ahmed bin Dagher, the front man of the Yemeni delegation at the meeting, said that any solution should not violate the constitution. "We adhere to the constitution which we cannot breach," he said, indicating that Saleh could serve out his term until 2013, a position stated previously by the General People's Congress, Yemen's ruling party. The GCC, which is made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Soddy Arabia and the UAE, has tried for weeks to mediate a solution to Yemen's crisis. Protesters killed The latest developments come against a backdrop of continued confrontations continued between security forces and anti-Saleh protesters. One protester was killed on Wednesday when an armed man on a cycle of violence shot up demonstrators during Mohammedan dawn prayers in the city's Al-Nasr Square, witnesses said. "One protester was killed and around eight others were maimed," Arafat Makki, a member of the protest organising committee, said. The AFP news agency said a policeman was rubbed out and three others maimed by protesters in Aden, Yemen's main southern port city. Medics and witnesses in Sanaa said that eight people had been rubbed out since Tuesday, including a passer-by and a policeman. The UN Security Council also met on Tuesday to discuss Yemen, adding the crisis there to its agenda for the first time, but failed to come up with a joint statement on the situation. A press statement drawn up by Germany and Leb, both temporary members of the 15-nation UN Security Council, was blocked by a minority of states, diplomats said.

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Arabia

Yemen opposition sets deadline for Saleh exit

2011-04-15

Yemen's opposition has set a two-week deadline for 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. ... to step aside, rejecting a Saudi-brokered, Gulf-backed initiative to end the country's political turmoil. "We have renewed our emphasis on the need for speeding the process of (Saleh) standing down within two weeks. Therefore we will not go to Riyadh," Mohammed al-Mutawakkil, a prominent opposition leader, said on Thursday, referring to the proposed talks in the Saudi capital. This comes a day after five people were killed in the Yemeni capital Sanaa as forces loyal to a defected army general and pro-government fighters clashed, Al Jizz's correspondents said. Two more people were killed on Wednesday in the southern city of Aden in festivities between security forces and anti-regime demonstrators. The defected general, Ali Mohsen, a kinsman of Saleh who has thrown his weight behind the opposition and whose military units are protecting protesters in Sanaa, has welcomed a mediation proposal by the six-nation Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) to end the unrest. But on Tuesday, tens of thousands of Yemenis staged protests against the proposal, with many saying it offers Saleh, in power since 1978, an immunity from prosecution. Saleh accepts GCC offer Protesters in Yemen have for months been calling for Saleh to step down over the country's lack of freedoms and extreme poverty. Up to 100 people have been killed in the unrest which shows no sign of subsiding. The mediation proposal calls on Saleh to transfer power to his deputy, but gives no specific timeframe for him to leave office. It also includes immunity from prosecution for Saleh and his family. "The initiative does not clearly mention the immediate departure of the head of the regime and it did not touch on the fate of his relatives who are at the top military and security agencies that continue killing the peaceful protesters," the anti-government Civil Alliance of the Youth Revolution said in a statement. The alliance, which includes 30 youth groups, said the GCC proposal was an attempt to abort the revolution. Saleh has accepted the Gulf framework as long as it's carried out "constitutionally," but state media had initially suggested the government would reject it.

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Arabia

Yemen's Saleh 'welcomes' Gulf proposal

2011-04-12

[Al Jazeera] 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. ... Yemen's embattled president, has welcomed "efforts" by members of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) to end his country's political crisis, according to a statement from his office. A GCC statement on Sunday, talked of "the formation of a national unity government under the leadership of the opposition which has the right to form committees ... to draw up a constitution and hold elections". It said Saleh should hand his authorities over to his vice president and that all parties should "stop all forms of Dire Revenge™ .. and [legal] pursuance, through guarantees offered" - wording that appeared to offer Saleh assurances of no prosecution for him or his family once he leaves office. The statement from Saleh's office on Monday said: "In compliance with statements made several times ... the president has no reservation against transferring power peacefully and smoothly within the framework of the constitution." The response did not make clear whether Saleh accepted the proposal for him to step down and ensure a peaceful transition of power to his deputy, Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi. Al Jizz's correspondent in Sanaa said: "This has always been his position - the key words are 'within the constitution' which could either mean through elections at the end of the year, or if he chooses to resign it must be accepted by parliament. "In which case, as we saw with the emergency law a few weeks ago, he can easily swing to make sure they don't accept his resignation." 'Blatant interference' Speaking to Al Jizz, Mahjoob Zweiri, professor of Middle Eastern history at Qatar University, said: "It is very difficult to say that what he [Saleh] is saying now is a positive response to the [GCC] initiative." Opposition leaders will meet later on Monday to discuss the terms of the GCC plan. Speaking to Al Jizz, Najib Ghaniem, a senior member of the opposition Islah party, said: "We are only interested in the end to the agony of our people. "If this initiative means that Saleh steps down, then all issues can be put on the table to discuss later on." Saleh has been in power since 1978 and has faced fierce protests demanding his departure since late January. "The opposition has accepted the initiative in principle and they are discussing it. But the youth in Taghyeer square have not accepted it yet," Zweiri added. On Friday, the president rejected a proposal for his exit, made by Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, Qatar's prime minister, as a "blatant interference in Yemeni affairs". His statement came after the Qatari prime minister said that the GCC member countries "hope to reach a deal with the Yemeni president to step down". More protests Meanwhile, ...back at the argument, Jane reached into her purse for her .38... tens of thousands of people filled the streets of Sanaa, Taiz, Hudaida, Ibb and the southeastern province of Hadramut to protest against the GCC plan on Monday, witnesses said. Diplomatic sources say Saleh has dragged his heels for weeks over US attempts to get him to agree to step down and end the protests crippling the country. With more than 100 protesters killed as security forces tried to break up the demonstrations with tear gas and live fire, activists say they want to see legal action against Saleh and his sons, who occupy key security and political posts. Saleh has been manoeuvring to win guarantees that he and his sons do not face prosecution. "I see that now Ali Abdullah Saleh is worried, he is under increased pressure from Washington, from EU, from GCC," Zweiri said. "There has been a decision made by Washington that he should go, and he was relying on getting support from Washington." Long regarded by the West as a vital ally against al-Qaeda, Saleh has warned of civil war and the break-up of Yemen if he is forced to leave power before organising parliamentary and presidential polls over the next year. Saleh had sought Saudi mediation for some weeks, but Gulf diplomatic sources have said Riyadh was finally prompted by concern over the deteriorating security situation in its southern neighbour. Soddy Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, is the key financier of the Yemeni government as well as many Yemeni tribes on its border. Many leaders in the region became convinced that Saleh is an obstacle to stability in a country that overlooks a shipping lane where over three million barrels of oil pass daily.

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