Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Yemeni opposition announces signing of agreement for president's resignation

Arab Gulf unenviable could announce in the coming days the time and place of the signing of an agreement providing for the resignation of the president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, an official of the opposition. Basindwa Mohammed said the Secretary General of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC for its acronym in English), Abdullatif al-Zayani, is scheduled to visit Sanaa in the coming days to finalize a transfer of power plan, which stipulates that Saleh must give 30 days after signing the agreement.

"We hope to finalize the settlement and the signing of an agreement, the sooner the better," he said. When asked if the agreement sponsored by the GCC could be signed in the coming days, said: "We hope so. It's possible." An opposition coalition of Islamists, leftists and Arab nationalists removed a key obstacle to implementing the deal when it agreed on Monday to participate in a national unity government in transition, reversing his initial rejection.

The Western Allies and the Yemen Arab Gulf mediated for weeks to find a solution to a three-month crisis in which the demonstrators, inspired by the overthrow of the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia, took to the streets to demand an end to government 32-year-Saleh. Washington and the oil giant Saudi Arabia fear that any escalation of chaos and violence in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state, which for years is on the verge of collapse, offer advantages to an arm of Al Qaeda based in Yemen, which operates in the country.

The group has used Yemen as a base to launch attacks against targets attempts Americans and Saudis in the last two years. In light of the massive protests and the defection of many military leaders, tribal and political, Saleh agreed in principle to the proposal of the Foreign Ministers of GCC to relinquish power in exchange for immunity from prosecution for himself, his family and advisers .

Opposition figures said they finally accepted the plan on Monday after receiving assurances from U.S. diplomats in Sanaa that the leader, 69, would resign effective in a month, once the agreement is signed. The opposition coalition initially suspected that Saleh, a shrewd political survivor, could defeat the plan if the Parliament, which is dominated by members of his ruling party did not accept his resignation.

However, the protesters vowed to continue their protests until they resign and be tried Saleh. The president has reneged on previous promises not to seek a new mandate. They also fear that some opposition parties, many of whom were allied to Saleh, just be cooperation in order to obtain a greater share of power and not to secure real change.

"This agreement will disappoint our hopes. The president has left office. He got what he wanted, he and his followers will not be tried for the killing of demonstrators and the money they stole," said Hamdan Zayed in Sana'a, where thousands of demonstrators camped for weeks. "He has scored a victory over the opposition, but we will continue our revolution.

We will not leave the streets for this shameful agreement", he added.

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