Ousted

Yemen Prez Agrees to Leave

After arm-twisting from Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

After some serious arm-twisting from neighboring Arab countries, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has accepted a deal to step down from power after 30 days in exchange for immunity, a presidential aide tells The Wall Street Journal. “President Saleh welcomed the proposal and has accepted it,” presidential aide Tariq Shami told the paper. “Though President Saleh has constitutional rights to stay in power, he is willing to leave office willingly.” The deal was brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council, along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but it remains unclear whether the opposition movement will accept the immunity clause for their country’s ruler of 32 years. “We the youth of revolution reject any proposal that does not hold Saleh accountable for the killing of more than 140 revolutionary protesters" during the street demonstrations this year, said a statement released by the students' organizing committee, an opposition group. Mainstream opposition parties, meanwhile, have said they agree in principle to terms that would have Saleh handing over power to the country’s vice president within 30 days of the deal’s signing.