Saleh opponents reject Gulf departure plan

Protesters in Yemen on Sunday stuck to their demand that President Ali Abdullah Saleh quit at once, after the ruling party accepted a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) plan which would see him resign in 30 days’ time.

Reuters/Ammar Awad

“There is a consensus on rejecting the initiative,” Abdulmalik al-Yusufi, one of the leaders of the sit-in in Sanaa’s main square told the AFP news agency. The protesters staged a demonstration after midnight Saturday to mark their opposition to the plan, he said.

Leading activists in the second city, Taez, also gave the plan the thumbs-down, dubbing it an attempt to “buy time” and saying that they do not trust the president.

Saleh’s General People’s Congress accepted the proposal in its entirety late on Saturday.

The Common Forum parliamentary opposition also accepted it, but declared that it would not take part in a government formed by Saleh, indicating that he should hand over power before a new cabinet is sworn in.

The GCC plan proposes:

• Saleh will submit his resignation to parliament within 30 days;
• He and his family will enjoy immunity from prosecution;
• He will form a national unity government and hand over power to his deputy;
• A new president will be elected within two months.
   

More than 130 people have been killed in clashes with security forces and Saleh’s supporters since protests started late in January.

Saleh, who has been in office since 1978 and is a US ally, previously said he would step down before the end of the year.