Yemen protesters reject Saleh exit plan

Fresh clashes between armed tribesmen, Yemeni forces leaves five people dead as pro-democracy protests continue.

Middle East Online

Yemenis demanding the immediate departure of Saleh SANAA - Yemen protesters Sunday demanded the immediate departure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh after his ruling party accepted a Gulf plan for him to quit in 30 days in a move promptly hailed by Washington. The United States had urged a peaceful transition after Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) party said late Saturday it accepted a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) plan under which he would quit after months of protests. The top committee of the Peaceful Change Revolution issued a statement reiterating its rejection of the plan and demanding that Saleh be prosecuted, contrary to the GCC proposal which calls for immunity. "The committee... utterly rejects any initiative that would not stipulate the departure of Saleh and his family (from power) and putting him and his staff on trial," it said. The Gulf plan would see Saleh submit his resignation to parliament 30 days after tasking the opposition with forming a "national accord government" shared equally between the GPC and the opposition. His resignation would also follow the enactment by the parliament of laws providing "immunity against legal and judicial prosecution of the president and those who worked with him during his rule," the text of the initiative says. Saleh's deputy would then take over as interim president and call for a presidential election within 60 days. The newly elected president would then form a committee to draft a new constitution which would be voted on in a referendum, paving the way for parliamentary elections. The GCC, the European Union and the United States would sign the resulting agreement as witnesses. Saleh's party said on Saturday it accepted the plan in its "entirety." Yemen's parliamentary Common Forum opposition coalition also welcomed the Gulf plan, but insisted that Saleh has to go before a national unity government is formed. The protesters' statement on Sunday slammed the Common Forum position, however, saying it "represents only itself." The committee called on the Common Forum "to refrain from entering into dialogue with Saleh and his regime, and to merge fully with the revolution, and call clearly for an immediate departure of Saleh and a speedy trial of his regime." The White House on Saturday welcomed the plan for Yemen's long-time president to step down, urging all sides to "swiftly" implement a peaceful transfer of power. "We applaud the announcements by the Yemeni government and the opposition that they have accepted the GCC-brokered agreement to resolve the political crisis in a peaceful and orderly manner," spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement. He also urged "all parties to move swiftly to implement the terms of the agreement so that the Yemeni people can soon realise the security, unity, and prosperity that they have so courageously sought and so richly deserve." US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said earlier that "the timing and form of this transition should be identified through dialogue and begin immediately." He also called for "genuine participation" from all sides and urged them to refrain from violence. Officials in the United States, which had regarded Saleh a key ally in its fight against terrorism, are alarmed at the fallout from the upheaval in Yemen, where Al-Qaeda has already exploited the violent power struggle between Saleh and his opponents. On Friday, Saleh had given a cool response to the Gulf plan for him to quit after being in power for 32 years, even as massive crowds returned to the streets to demand his immediate ouster. The embattled leader insisted he would stick to the constitution in any power transfer. More than 130 people have been killed in clashes with security forces and Saleh supporters since protests broke out late January. Meanwhile, fresh clashes erupted between armed tribesmen and Republican Guard forces in Yemen's southern province of Lahij on Sunday, killing five people, four of them soldiers, police said. The renewed fighting erupted in the same area where eight people -- six tribesmen and two soldiers -- were killed three days ago, police said. "Four soldiers and a tribesman were killed in new fighting today," a police official said, declining to be named. Tribesmen in the mountain village of Labus regard the presence of troops in the area as a provocation. Another tribe attacked troop reinforcements heading towards Labus, but details of casualties were not immediately known.