SANAA, Yemen — In his first major speech since returning to Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh made vague comments Saturday that he is willing to leave power but offered no concrete plan for the country’s future. Yemen’s opposition voiced doubt that the embattled leader was serious.
It was not the first time Saleh has expressed a willingness to step down amid eight months of protests demanding his ouster. But he has repeatedly refused to resign immediately and rejected a U.S.-backed deal for him to hand over his authority.
Saleh was gravely wounded in an explosion at his presidential palace in June, after which he went to Saudi Arabia for treatment. During his absence, mediators and opposition groups sought to persuade him to stay away and transfer power to his deputy. Saleh declined and returned abruptly to Yemen late last month.
A violent crackdown against Saleh’s opponents followed, with outright street battles in the capital, Sanaa, between troops loyal to Saleh’s son Ahmed and dissident military units and pro-
opposition tribesmen. In the meantime, the longtime leader has come under pressure from the international community to step down.
The new declaration aired Saturday on state TV gave little clue to Saleh’s intentions.
Saleh spoke to a gathering of lawmakers, his burned hands encased in beige medical gloves.
“I never wanted power. I will reject power in the coming days,” he said. “I will give it up.”
He did not give any firm commitment to resign but said he would meet with parliament in the coming days to “transparently discuss” the situation.
Mohammed al-Sabri, an opposition spokesman, said Saleh’s words were intended to generate headlines ahead of a U.N. Security Council meeting Tuesday to discuss efforts to coax Saleh into signing a power transfer deal.
“If the president was serious and is convinced that the public no longer wants him, he should do it today and not tomorrow,” Sabri said.
— Associated Press
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