Sunday, July 3, 2011

South Yemen air strikes 'kill two civilians'

Yemen president orders talks on deal to end crisis

Female anti-government protestors, wearing masks, attend a demonstration demanding the resignation of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Taiz, Yemen, Wednesday, June 29, 2011. (AP / Anees Mahyoub)Yemeni army soldiers stand guard in a street in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, June 7, 2011. (AP / Hani Mohammed)
Female anti-government protestors, wearing masks, attend a demonstration demanding the resignation of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Taiz, Yemen, Wednesday, June 29, 2011. (AP / Anees Mahyoub)
Female anti-government protestors, wearing masks, attend a demonstration demanding the resignation of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Taiz, Yemen, Wednesday, June 29, 2011. (AP / Anees Mahyoub)  
The Associated Press
Date: Wednesday Jun. 29, 2011 7:56 PM ET
Yemen's president, hospitalized in Saudi Arabia after an attack nearly a month ago on his palace, has instructed his deputy to hold talks with political opponents on a deal to transfer power and end the nation's spiraling political crisis, his foreign minister said Wednesday. The opposition, wary after numerous pledges, dismissed the announcement.
Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, the foreign minister, was speaking from neighboring Saudi Arabia after a quick visit with President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was badly burned and suffered other wounds in the June 3 attack on his compound in Yemen's capital, Sanaa.
Nearly five months of protests by crowds calling for his ouster have left Saleh clinging to power. Defections by key allies and immense international pressure have failed to push him to negotiate an end to his nearly 33 years in power.
Saleh's Saudi hosts are among a group of six nations in the Gulf seeking to persuade him to step down, though he has held onto power during his absence through his sons and other relatives, some of whom command military units. But recent days have seen Islamic militants -- some believed to have links to al Qaeda -- seizing upon the growing chaos to take over entire towns in southern Yemen, and pressure is mounting for a resolution of the crisis.
"The president directed his deputy and the government to begin dialogue with the other parties in the opposition in accordance with the Gulf initiative and the latest UN Security Council statement," al-Qirbi said, speaking on Yemeni television.
The Security Council has pressed for inclusive political dialogue.
The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council first proposed a deal for transferring power months ago. In return for stepping down, Saleh and his family would get immunity from prosecution. Saleh promised at least three times to sign the deal but each time balked at that the last minute.
In response to Wednesday's announcement, the opposition said that at this point, anything less than an immediate transfer of power would fall short of their demands.
"Yemen can't take anymore manoeuvering or declarations to waste time," said opposition spokesman Mohammed Qahtan. "The economic and security conditions are very serious and what is required first is an immediate decision to begin transfer of power and then dialogue can come."More...

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