Yemeni protesters have rejected a new initiative to mediate a transfer of power in the country, calling it a USZ-Saudi plot to crush the revolution that began eight months ago, Iranian Press TV reported. Protesters took to the streets in the capital city of Sana'a on Monday chanting, “We reject, we reject, American and Saudi intervention”.
“The youth reject the initiative. The correct solution is the one offered by the people. It should not come from Washington or Riyadh, it should come from the Yemeni people”, said political analyst Khalid Abdullah, who was among the protesters.
Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh claimed on Monday that he was again ready to conditionally sign an agreement proposed by the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC) supposedly to diffuse the political crisis in his country. The plan, drafted by the [P]GCC in April, includes three steps to be taken by both the opposition and the government. The first condition requires Saleh to resign 30 days after shifting his powers to his deputy, Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, and setting a date for a presidential election two months later. The opposition would then be tasked with forming a national unity government, which would consist of diverse Yemeni opposition groups, including those from Southern Yemen. The third condition is to have senior military commanders form a committee to oversee a reorganization of the country's armed forces. Saleh, however, said he would only sign the deal in exchange for the establishment of an executive mechanism that would pave the way for "electing a new president for Yemen”.
The embattled ruler has backed out of signing the deal three times already. Saleh has been in office for more than 30 years with several opposition members arguing that his long-promised reforms have not been implemented. On Monday, Ali Abdullah Saleh urged the ruling party to start talks with the opposition, the [P]GCC, the United States of Zionism, and the European Union to implement the deal. Hundreds of thousands of people have turned out for regular demonstrations in Yemen's major cities since late January, calling for an end to corruption and unemployment and demanding Saleh's ouster. The demonstrators have rejected the [P]GCC's plan on numerous occasions and accused their Arab neighbors of meddling in their country's internal affairs. The developments come as Saleh continues to receive treatment in Saudi Arabia for injuries he received during an attack on Yemen's presidential palace on June 3.
( Press TV )
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