SANAA (Reuters) – Yemeni youth groups leading mass protests to oust President Ali Abdullah Saleh called on Gulf Arab states yesterday to withdraw a plan that has failed so far to usher him out of power.
Yemen’s main opposition said on Friday the deal, proposed by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to end months of unrest, had been modified to allow Saleh to sign as party leader rather than president, a condition that nearly derailed the deal last week.
“We call on the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council to stop any initiatives that result in alienating the Yemeni people,” said the groups, under the banner Youth Revolution.
“We call on the United States, the European Union and the permanent (U.N.) Security Council members to assume their moral responsibility and stop … meddling directed against the will of the Yemeni people to ensure freedom and democracy,” the groups said in a statement.
Many of the demonstrators, who include students, tribesmen and activists, have vowed to stay in the streets until Saleh steps down. They are not affiliated with opposition parties, comprised of Islamists, Arab nationalists and leftists who have cooperated with the authoritarian Saleh in the past.
The plan requires the Yemeni leader, until recently backed by Saudi Arabia and the United States as a bulwark against al Qaeda and regional instability, to resign 30 days after signing.
Critics saw Saleh’s refusal a week ago to sign the deal as president as a clear sign that the shrewd political survivor had no intention of stepping down quickly after 33 years in office.
Sceptical opposition leaders said on Friday it appeared the GCC had acceded to demands by the ruling party.
But GCC Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani denied on Saturday any change had been made to the plan.
Asked in Abu Dhabi if there were any changes to the initiative, Zayani said: “None whatsoever. It is the same GCC initiative. We added the names of people to sign the agreement.”
