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Yemen's opposition on Monday rejected a Gulf Arab initiative for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down because it appears to offer him immunity from prosecution, while Saleh himself welcomed it. Gulf Arab foreign ministers meeting in Riyadh on Sunday said publicly for the first time that the framework of their mediation effort involved Saleh standing down, but it did not give a timeline. The ministers called for a meeting of parties in the Yemeni conflict to meet in Saudi Arabia but did not set a date. "Who would be a fool to offer guarantees to a regime that kills peaceful protesters? Our principal demand is that Saleh leaves first," opposition spokesman Mohammed al-Sabry said. A spokesman for General Ali Mohsen, a Saleh kinsman whose units are protecting protesters in Sana'a, said on Monday that he welcomed the details of the GCC plan. Shortly after the opposition rejected the Gulf initiative, Saleh's office issued a statement saying he accepted it. "The presidency welcomes the efforts of our brothers in the Gulf Cooperation Council to solve the current crisis in Yemen," the statement from his office said. Saleh had sought Saudi mediation for some weeks, but Gulf diplomatic sources have said Riyadh was prompted in the end by concern over deteriorating security in its southern neighbor after Saleh failed to act on the backroom deal struck with US officials on a quick exit. Reuters |
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