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Yemeni President Agrees to Meet Opposition in Saudi Arabia

   VOA News  April 05, 2011
   Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh delivers a speech to his supporters
   in Sana'a, March 25, 2011

Photo: AP

   Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh delivers a speech to his supporters
   in Sana'a (File Photo - March 25, 2011)

   Sources close to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh say he has
   accepted an invitation from the Gulf Cooperation Council to hold talks
   in Saudi Arabia with opposition representatives who want him to step
   down.
   Western media reported Tuesday that some opposition groups have
   welcomed the talks.
   The political development comes as violence erupted in Yemen for a
   third straight day. At least three people were killed in clashes.
   Yemen's military says a shootout broke out between troops supporting
   protesters and tribesmen loyal to Saleh in the capital, Sana'a. General
   Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who turned against the Saleh government last
   month, says the incident was an attempt to assassinate him.
   Several Yemeni military leaders have recently withdrawn support for
   Saleh and are siding with demonstrators, as pressure mounts for the
   longtime president to leave office.
   In the southern city Taiz, plainclothes security men opened fire and
   launched tear gas at protesters again on Tuesday. Dozens were wounded,
   mostly suffering from tear gas inhalation.
   At least 15 people were killed on Monday during anti-Saleh protests in
   Taiz.
   The escalating protest comes as international calls intensify for
   Saleh's resignation.
   The European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton issued a
   statement Tuesday saying "the political transition must begin without
   delay."
   The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
   expressed alarm at what it terms "reports of disproportionate and
   excessive use of force, including machine guns, against peaceful
   protesters in Taiz" on Monday.
   The New York Times reported that the United States is dropping its
   longtime support for Saleh and negotiating the terms of his departure.
   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.
   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.

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

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