Yemen
uprising
 |
| President Saleh has ruled Yemen since 1978, but will now cede power within 30 days |
Yemeni
President Ali Abdullah Saleh has signed a deal under which he will step down.
Mr Saleh
signed the agreement, brokered by Yemen's Gulf Arab neighbours, in the Saudi
capital Riyadh.
Under the
deal, he is to transfer his powers to his deputy ahead of an early election and
in return will get immunity from prosecution.
But some
protesters in Yemen said they would reject any deal giving the president and
his officials immunity.
The
protesters said the Gulf initiative ignored the "blood of martyrs",
BBC Arabic correspondent Abdullah Ghorab in Yemen reports.
The
government crackdown has left hundreds dead and thousands wounded in Yemen.
The
69-year-old leader - who has ruled since 1978 - has been facing protests since
the beginning of the year.
He came
close to signing the deal several times in the past, only to pull out at the
last minute.
Meanwhile,
clashes broke out between pro-Saleh troops and gunmen loyal to dissident chief
Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar in Sanaa.
No
casualties were immediately reported in the fighting in the al-Hasaba district
of the Yemeni capital.
Saleh's
pledge
 |
| The Yemeni government has been facing popular protests since the beginning of the year |
Mr Saleh
signed the agreement in the presence of Saudi King Abdullah and other senior
Saudi officials after flying to Riyadh on Wednesday morning.
Under the
plan, the president will hand over power to deputy Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi in
return for immunity from prosecution.
Mr Hadi is
then expected to form a national unity government and also call for early
presidential elections within 90 days.
The deal
envisages that Mr Saleh will remain an honorary president for three months
after singing the agreement.
In Riyadh,
Mr Saleh pledged to co-operate with the new government which would include the
opposition.
He also
called on all Yemenis to be partners in rebuilding the conflict-torn country.
The
breakthrough comes after intensive talks in Yemen by the UN envoy to the
country, Jamal Benomar.
In June, Mr
Saleh survived an attack on his compound in Sanaa and then flew to Saudi Arabia
for medical treatment. He returned to Yemen in September.
On
Wednesday, he said he would go to New York to continue treatment.
UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said: "If he (Saleh) comes to New York, I'll
be happy to meet him."
Mr Ban
added that he was "encouraged by the positive development of the situation
in Yemen".
What began
as peaceful protests against President Saleh has increasingly degenerated into
armed conflict involving different tribes and militias.
Five or six
provinces are no longer under government control.
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