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Yemen Police Fire on Protesters Across Country

   VOA News  April 05, 2011
   Anti-government protesters carry an injured fellow protester in Sanaa,
   April 5, 2011

Photo: Reuters

   Anti-government protesters carry an injured fellow protester in Sanaa,
   April 5, 2011

   Yemeni security forces are on alert across the country as demonstrators
   continue protests aimed at removing President Ali Abdullah Saleh from
   power.
   Witnesses say plainclothes security troops opened fire on
   anti-government protesters in the southern city of Taiz Tuesday , a day
   after clashes there left 17 dead.
   Separate clashes between protesters and security forces were also
   reported in the capital Sanaa and the Red Sea town of Hudaida
   On Monday, six people were killed in Hudaida after plainclothes
   officers fired on a demonstrators marching towards the presidential
   palace there.
   In Washington, the U.S. State Department called the violence in Yemen
   "appalling" amid signs of mounting U.S. pressure on President Ali
   Abdullah Saleh to relinquish power.
   The New York Times said the United States is dropping its longtime
   support for Saleh and negotiating the terms of his departure.
   Unidentified American and Yemeni officials were quoted as saying the
   U.S. position changed more than a week ago, when the talks began. The
   State Department would not confirm the reports.
   A Yemeni opposition spokesman said U.S. and European diplomats were in
   contact with Saleh and also asked anti-government leaders for their
   "vision" for a transition.
   In response, the opposition on Saturday gave U.S. officials a proposal
   that Saleh resign immediately and hand over power to a temporary
   government led by Vice President Abd al-Rab Mansur al-Hadi until new
   elections are held. The plan also demands that security forces be
   restructured under a "transitional military council."
   The Gulf Arab states have invited Yemeni government and opposition
   representatives to talks in Saudi Arabia. Saleh has given no sign of
   compromise in the face of continued street protests.
   The Yemeni president, in power for 32 years, has offered to step down
   but only after new elections are held. His term ends in 2013.
   Yemen has seen increasingly bloody protests against the longtime ruler
   since late January. Saleh recently called for an end to the protests
   and said he is willing to discuss the peaceful transfer of power
   "according to the constitution."

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

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References

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