PRESIDENT ALI ABDULLAH Saleh made vague comments Saturday that he is willing to leave power in his first major speech since returning Yemen, but he gave no concrete plan for the future of the country.
Yemen’s opposition cast 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 mass protests demanding his ouster. Still, he has repeatedly refused to resign immediately and rejected a US-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 left to Saudi Arabia for treatment. During his absence, mediators and opposition groups sought to convince him to stay away and transfer power to his deputy— a way to launch the regional power transfer deal. 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 a considerable pressure from the international community to step down.
His new declaration Saturday aired on state TV gave little clue to his intentions.
Saleh spoke to a gathering of lawmakers, his hands encased in beige medical gloves for the treatment of burns from the June bombing. He didn’t shake hands with any of his guests, who instead, shook the hands of his deputy standing by his side.
“I never wanted power. I will reject power in the coming days. I will give it up,” he said. “But there are men will take power. There are men who are true to their pledges, whether military or civilians, who will take power. They can never destroy the country.”
He did not elaborate on whom he was referring to or give any firm commitment to resign. Saleh said he would meet with parliament in the coming days to “transparently discuss” the situation in Yemen.
Opposition members were skeptical of Saleh’s comments. Mohammed al-Sabri, an opposition spokesman, said Saleh’s words were intended to generate headlines ahead of a UN Security Council meeting Tuesday that is to discuss the failed efforts to convince Saleh to sign the 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,” al-Sabri said.
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