Thursday, June 30, 2011

Wounded Saleh calls for implementing GCC plan he refuses to sign

Wounded Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in a message sent through his foreign minister on state television on Wednesday, has again called for talks with the opposition to implement a Gulf plan that calls for his departure in exchange for immunity.

“We discussed the Gulf initiative, and [President Saleh] called for the opening of a dialogue with the opposition ... in order to agree on a vehicle by which to implement the Gulf initiative,” Yemen’s Foreign Minister Abubakr Al Qirbi said in a statement on state television.
The health of President Saleh, who is recovering in Saudi Arabia from injuries sustained in an attack on his palace in early June, was “good and in continuous improvement,” Mr. Al Qirbi said.

That GCC plan, which the United States supports, calls for Mr. Saleh to surrender power in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Mr. Saleh has agreed to the plan three times in recent months, refusing at the last minute each time to sign an accord.

Ruling party officials have been refusing any talks on power transition awaiting the return of President Saleh from Saudi Arabia.

The minister said that he met him Wednesday in his hospital in Saudi Arabia and discussed with him the situation in the country and the political crisis.

He said the political talks will involve the main opposition coalition known as Joint Meeting Parties, the separatist Southern Movement and the Shiite Houthi rebels in order to formulate the new future of Yemen.

Mohammed Qahtan, spokesman of the JMP, said that the situation of the country does not allow for any more meetings and negotiations.

The first step should be transferring power to the vice president and then, we can start talking about other issues, he said by phone. There is no much time to waste in talks before this step, Mr. Qahtan said by phone.

In a separate televised message, Health Minister Abdulkarim Rasee said that he also met with Mr. Saleh and that he is in good health. Mr. Saleh will address the nation soon and talk to the people about his health, he said.

(Mustapha Ajbaili, a senior editor at Al Arabiya English

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