A deal to remove Yemen’s president Ali Abdullah Saleh from power is on the verge of collapse today after Mr Saleh refused to sign, raising fears of further instability in the Arabian Peninsula.
Gulf Cooperation Council mediators told Yemen's opposition yesterday that Mr Saleh would sign as leader of his party but had refused to sign in his capacity as president as required by the deal.
Mr Saleh, long considered a US ally against al Qaeda's Yemen-based wing, had already forced mediators to split the signing ceremonies over two days in Sanaa and in Riyadh. He has objected to the presence of Qatari officials.
Qatar's prime minister was first to state publicly the Gulf deal would seek Mr Saleh's resignation, and its satellite TV channel Al Jazeera has been accused by Mr Saleh of inciting revolt in the Arab world, swept for months by pro-democracy protests.
Under the deal, Mr Saleh, a shrewd political survivor who has faced three months of pro-democracy protests demanding he quit, would within a month become the third ruler ousted by a wave of popular uprisings sweeping the region.
Protesters say they will stay on the streets until Mr Saleh leaves. They also called for him to be put on trial for corruption and the deaths of the estimated 144 protesters.
GCC secretary-general Abdullatif al-Zayani left Yemen without securing Mr Saleh's signature, opposition official, Sultan al-Atwani told Reuters.
But Yemen's main opposition coalition said it still hoped Gulf states would get Mr Saleh's signature. Both Mr Saleh, who has ruled for nearly 33 years, and the opposition, which includes both Islamists and leftists, had agreed the deal in principle.
"The matter is now with the Gulf states. If they are able to persuade Saleh, that would be good," said Mohammed Basindwa, an opposition figure tipped as a possible interim prime minister.
The United States and neighbouring oil giant Saudi Arabia want the Yemen standoff resolved to avert chaos that could enable al Qaeda's Yemen wing to operate more freely.
Reuters