Courtesy: "Aljazeera English", 18 May 2011
Yemen's president has for a second time backed out of a Gulf-sponsored deal to transfer power.
The long awaited agreement brokered by the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) would have seen Ali Abdullah Saleh stepping down within a month.
Yemen's opposition had earlier said the deal would be signed on Wednesday.
But the head of the GCC left Sanaa without securing a signed agreement.
The departure of Abdullatif al-Zayani suggested that differences remained despite the government and opposition earlier agreeing on the deal in principle.
Zayani had been in Sanaa since Saturday to try to persuade the sides to sign the deal, with help from US and European diplomats.
The White House, meanwhile, urged Saleh to sign and implement a transition of power deal so that the country could "move forward immediately" with political reform.
John Brennan, an adviser to US President Barack Obama, called Saleh earlier in the day, the White House said in a statement.
"Brennan noted that this transfer of power represents the best path forward for Yemen to become a more secure, unified, and prosperous nation and for the Yemeni people to realize their aspirations for peace and political reform," the statement said.
Brennan also reiterated that all parties in Yemen should "refrain from violence and proceed with the transition in a peaceful and orderly manner."
Earlier confirmations
Earlier, Al Arabiya television had quoted an adviser to the Yemeni president as confirming the signing would take place on Wednesday.
The opposition, whose coalition includes Islamists and leftists, said that among the minor modifications in the deal were changes in who would sign and in what capacity for the opposition and for the government.
"The president will sign for the government in his capacity as president of the republic and as head of the ruling party," Yahya Abu Usbua, an opposition official, told the Reuters news agency.
But some protest groups had said they would not accept the GCC plan.
The plan mediated by the GCC - a group of Gulf states - hit several snags in the past few weeks, with Saleh refusing to sign on technicalities.
Modifications proposed by the ruling party, passed on to the opposition by diplomats, would let the ruling party appoint a unity government for the transition period until elections and would also change which opposition representative would sign the deal, the opposition leader said.
Sustained protests
Saleh, who has outlasted previous opponents' attempts to challenge his power, indicated in April he would sign the Gulf deal, but refused to put his name to it in the final hours.
He said at the time he would only sign in his capacity as ruling party leader, not as president.
He and his party have then agreed that he would sign as president of both the party and the country.
The United States and neighbouring oil giant Saudi Arabia, both targets of foiled attacks from al-Qaeda's Yemen wing, have been keen to see an end to Yemen's political stalemate out of concern that continued chaos could give the group more room to operate freely.
On Tuesday, Yemenis marked 100 days of protest against the government.
In the southern port city of Aden, gunmen in civilian clothes fired into the air at a protest camp early on Tuesday morning. Protesters said that this was an apparent attempt to scare them out of the area they have camped out for months, demanding Saleh's immediate ouster.
Residents and medics said several were hurt but no one was killed. Fleeing protesters, some of whom hurled stones at their attackers, quickly returned to their camp after the clashes.
Elsewhere in the south, gunmen shot dead two soldiers and a civil servant as they drove up in a lorry to a security checkpoint in the southern city of Mukalla, a local official said.
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"FATA Awareness Initiative" Team.
| Yemen rivals fail to sign GCC-brokered deal |
| Gulf mediator leaves Sanaa after President Saleh refuses to ink plan that would have seen him stepping down in a month. |
The long awaited agreement brokered by the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) would have seen Ali Abdullah Saleh stepping down within a month.
Yemen's opposition had earlier said the deal would be signed on Wednesday.
But the head of the GCC left Sanaa without securing a signed agreement.
The departure of Abdullatif al-Zayani suggested that differences remained despite the government and opposition earlier agreeing on the deal in principle.
Zayani had been in Sanaa since Saturday to try to persuade the sides to sign the deal, with help from US and European diplomats.
The White House, meanwhile, urged Saleh to sign and implement a transition of power deal so that the country could "move forward immediately" with political reform.
John Brennan, an adviser to US President Barack Obama, called Saleh earlier in the day, the White House said in a statement.
"Brennan noted that this transfer of power represents the best path forward for Yemen to become a more secure, unified, and prosperous nation and for the Yemeni people to realize their aspirations for peace and political reform," the statement said.
Brennan also reiterated that all parties in Yemen should "refrain from violence and proceed with the transition in a peaceful and orderly manner."
Earlier confirmations
Earlier, Al Arabiya television had quoted an adviser to the Yemeni president as confirming the signing would take place on Wednesday.
The opposition, whose coalition includes Islamists and leftists, said that among the minor modifications in the deal were changes in who would sign and in what capacity for the opposition and for the government.
"The president will sign for the government in his capacity as president of the republic and as head of the ruling party," Yahya Abu Usbua, an opposition official, told the Reuters news agency.
But some protest groups had said they would not accept the GCC plan.
The plan mediated by the GCC - a group of Gulf states - hit several snags in the past few weeks, with Saleh refusing to sign on technicalities.
Modifications proposed by the ruling party, passed on to the opposition by diplomats, would let the ruling party appoint a unity government for the transition period until elections and would also change which opposition representative would sign the deal, the opposition leader said.
Sustained protests
Saleh, who has outlasted previous opponents' attempts to challenge his power, indicated in April he would sign the Gulf deal, but refused to put his name to it in the final hours.
He said at the time he would only sign in his capacity as ruling party leader, not as president.
He and his party have then agreed that he would sign as president of both the party and the country.
The United States and neighbouring oil giant Saudi Arabia, both targets of foiled attacks from al-Qaeda's Yemen wing, have been keen to see an end to Yemen's political stalemate out of concern that continued chaos could give the group more room to operate freely.
On Tuesday, Yemenis marked 100 days of protest against the government.
In the southern port city of Aden, gunmen in civilian clothes fired into the air at a protest camp early on Tuesday morning. Protesters said that this was an apparent attempt to scare them out of the area they have camped out for months, demanding Saleh's immediate ouster.
Residents and medics said several were hurt but no one was killed. Fleeing protesters, some of whom hurled stones at their attackers, quickly returned to their camp after the clashes.
Elsewhere in the south, gunmen shot dead two soldiers and a civil servant as they drove up in a lorry to a security checkpoint in the southern city of Mukalla, a local official said.
....................
Note: The viewpoint expressed in this article is solely that of the writer / news outlet. "FATA Awareness Initiative" Team may not agree with the opinion presented.
....................
We Hope You find the info useful. Keep visiting this blog and remember to leave your feedback / comments / suggestions / requests / corrections.
With Regards,
"FATA Awareness Initiative" Team.
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