Saleh: “We Are Ready to Sign the GCC Initiative”

Sitting down for an interview with the Washington Post, Yemen’s embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh stated that his vice-president (who been delegated the authority to sign on Saleh’s behalf) is ready to sign the GCC initiative that would allow for a peaceful transition of power and the holding of free elections. Saleh also stated that they had not signed so far, because “the vice president is waiting for the other side…we are willing within the next hours and next days to sign it, if the JMP comes closer [to reaching an agreement].” State-run news agency Saba also reported on Wednesday that Saleh had given his vice-president the authority to negotiate “a power transfer mechanism with the Opposition.” Yemen’s foreign minister Abu Bakr al-Qidri was obliquely blaming the opposition for the violence that has wracked the country. al-Qidri also stated that the reason behind the violence was  “the opposition’s refusal to accept the results of the 2006 presidential election… and warned that, unchecked, the tension could escalate into a civil war.”