Yemen.
Opposition rejects Gulf plan, Saleh accepts
Yahoo News.
The protests in this Middle Eastern country are taking place mainly because the president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, was given the option to step down through a Gulf Arab initiative. The protesters do not like this plan, partly because it gives Saleh immunity from prosecution against his past wrongs.
Saleh himself welcomed the plan.
Opposition spokesman, Mohammed al-Sabry, is quoted: "Who would be a fool to offer guarantees to a regime that kills peaceful protestors? Our principal demand is that Saleh leaves first."
Since early February, Saleh has been dragging his heels over U.S. attempts to have him agree to step down, trying first to win guarantees that he and his sons will not face prosecution.
More than 100 protesters have been killed in clashes with security forces, and activists have said that they want to see legal action taken against Saleh and his sons.
Tens of thousands of protesters filled the streets of Sanaa, Taiz, Hudaiba, Ibb, and the SE province of Hadramat to protest against the Gulf plan. General Ali Mohsen, a kinsman of Saleh whose units are protecting those protesters in Sanaa, is quoted to have said on Monday, "[Saleh]...hopes all parties will accept this initiative and not miss the opportunity."
Shortly after the opposition rejected the Gulf initiative, Saleh accepted it. He believes that it is his duty to oversee the transition of power in new elections, and he "has no reservations about transferring power peacefully within the framework of the constitution."
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