Yemen: Saleh Says Won’t Resign Until Opposition Leaders Leave Country
By Ria Novosti
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said on Saturday he would not resign until two of his fierce opponents leave the country, the Al-Khaleej paper said quoting an opposition spokesman.
Saleh, who is in Riyadh recovering from a June bomb attack, met with his ruling party, General People Congress, and said he was ready to consider restarting talks on a deal brokered by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council to leave office early.
Saleh, whose 33-year rule has been challenged by a nationwide popular uprising since February, said he would sign the document. He added that his former allies-turned-enemies, top General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar and Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, must leave the country first.
General Ali Mohsen is President Saleh’s half-brother, who officially moved into opposition on March 21.
Sheikh al-Ahmar is a leader of the Hashid tribal confederation, the second largest in Yemen. President Saleh has blamed al-Ahmar’s supporters of organizing the bomb attack on him in his residence on June 4 in which he suffered burns on 40 percent of his body.
Both opposition leaders have allegedly agreed to Saleh’s demand that they leave the country, the opposition spokesman said.
Yemeni opposition leaders said in late July that they would not negotiate peace with the president unless he signs the Gulf Cooperation Council deal brokered to leave office early and transfer powers to his deputy.
