Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said on Saturday he was prepared to step down if he was allowed a dignified departure, but the opposition accused him of maneuvering to hold on to power.
Earlier, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi said a deal to transfer power peacefully could emerge shortly based on an offer by Saleh to quit by the end of the year. However, a deal did not appear imminent since government opponents had hardened their demands.
“I could leave power ... even in a few hours, on condition of maintaining dignity and prestige,” Saleh told al-Arabiya TV, adding that he would remain in charge of the ruling party even if he stood down. “I have to take the country to safe shores ... I’m holding on to power in order to hand it over peaceably ... I’m not looking for a home in Jeddah or Paris.”
Yemen, a poor and tribally divided country that has become a base for al-Qaeda next to the world’s top oil producer Saudi Arabia, has been in upheaval since January when the example of the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions set off popular demonstrations to end Saleh’s 32-year rule.
Talks have been under way on two tracks to hash out the details of a deal on a peaceful transition of power.
However, the leader of Yemen’s opposition coalition said the sides still had significant differences and that while there were some contacts, he did not consider them as negotiations.
“We still have a very big gap,” said Yassin Noman, the rotating head of Yemen’s opposition coalition. “I think he [Saleh] is maneuvering.”
Yemeni political sources said some issues that could hold up a deal were whether the opposition would give guarantees not to pursue Saleh and his family legally. Saleh opponents also want to be sure his close relatives leave positions of power.
Saleh, who oversaw the 1990 unification of north and south Yemen and emerged victorious from a civil war four years later, told tribes in Sana’a on Saturday that he would “work to avoid bloodshed using all possible means.”
However, an opposition leader cast doubt on prospects for a swift accord and a Sana’a diplomat cautioned it was too soon to discuss an outcome, saying it could “go either way.”
Qirbi said discussions were focusing on the time frame of a transition, among other issues.
“I think the time period is something that can be negotiated. It shouldn’t be really an obstacle to reach an agreement,” Qirbi said. “I think things are very close if the real intention is really to reach an agreement, but if there are parties who want to obstruct it, then of course one cannot predict.”
Meanwhile, witnesses said suspected al-Qaeda militants have seized control of a small town in the south where police had withdrawn.
The takeover signals Yemen’s offshoot of Osama bin Laden’s group and other militants are seeking to make gains on the country’s deepening political turmoil.
The town of Jaar sits between an expanse of mountains where al-Qaeda is active and the important port city of Aden, 35km to the southwest.
Resident Walid Mohammed said militants set up checkpoints on Saturday and were seizing control of government buildings that had been left vacant.
During the six weeks of anti-government protests, security forces have either withdrawn or been forced out by residents of some cities and towns.
Western countries are concerned that al-Qaeda militants could take advantage of any power vacuum arising from a rocky transition if Saleh, a US and Saudi ally, steps down.
Washington and Riyadh, Yemen’s main financial backer, have long seen Saleh as a bulwark against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which has tried to stage attacks beyond Yemeni soil since 2009 in both Saudi Arabia and the US.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was