Saleh’s new offer to Yemen’s opposition

SANAA, March 30: Yemens president has made a new offer to protesters demanding his ouster, proposing he stays in office until elections are held but transferring his powers to a caretaker government, an opposition source said on Wednesday. Ali Abdullah Saleh made his offer at a meeting on Tuesday night with Mohammed al-Yadoumi, head of the Islah party. It was the first time President Saleh had dealt with Mr Islah, once a partner in his government, an opposition spokesman said. "The opposition could pick a head of government of its own choosing and there would be parliamentary elections by the end of the year," an opposition source said of the president`s offer. He said the opposition was still considering its response. Weeks of protests by many thousands in Sanaa and other cities have sent Mr Saleh`s 32-year rule to the brink of collapse, but the United States and Saudi Arabia, a key Yemen financer, are worried over who could succeed their ally. They have long regarded Mr Saleh as a bulwark of stability who can keep Al Qaeda from extending its foothold in the Arabian Peninsula country. US officials have said openly they like working with Mr Saleh — who has allowed unpopular US air strikes in Yemen against Al Qaeda — and Mr Saleh has said the US ambassador in Sanaa is involved in talks to find a solution. Any agreement between Mr Saleh and the parties could run into trouble from another party — the Yemeni protesters. A coalition of protester groups calling themselves the Youth Revolution issued a statement on Wednesday, saying they would not leave the large public space near Sanaa University until President Saleh and his allies were removed from power. "A temporary presidential council of five individuals known for experience and integrity should run the country for an interim period (of six months)," it said, adding the council should appoint a technocrat to form a caretaker government. It also called for corruption trials, return of "stolen public and private property", release of political detainees, dissolving state security forces and closing the information ministry — steps taken in Tunisia and Egypt after similar pro-democracy uprisings had removed entrenched leaders. They called for dialogue over the complaints of northern Shia and southerners who lean towards secession. Sheikh Hamid al-Ahmar, a key tribal figure who belongs to the Islah party, said Mr Islah and the opposition could handle the militant issue better than Mr Saleh, whose government he said was not serious in confronting them. "I think Yemenis would be capable to free Yemen of terror within months," Sheikh Ahmar said, adding that the United States and European countries should call directly for Mr Saleh`s departure. "They should do what they did in Egypt. We don`t need what is going on in Libya. We don`t need that much support. But support like what was done in Egypt would be enough to finish things," he said. Protesters and opposition parties suspect incidents of lax security over the past week are government ploys to demonstrate to foreign powers that Mr Saleh is the strongman who can hold the impoverished country together.—Reuters