Yemen’s Saleh in Saudi to sign power transfer deal

Clashes broke out in Sanaa after Saleh arrived in Riyadh.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh flew to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to sign a deal brokered by Gulf states that would ease him from office after protracted protests against his rule that have crippled the country.

Armed clashes broke out in the capital Sanaa between government forces and gunmen loyal to opposition tribal leader Sadeq al-Ahmar after Saleh arrived in Riyadh,where the accord was scheduled to be inked later on Wednesday.

“The president … arrived this morning in Riyadh on a visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,following an invitation from the Saudi leadership,to attend the signing of the Gulf initiative and its operational mechanism,” state news agency Saba said.

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Saleh has backed out of signing versions of the same deal at the last minute three times already this year,since protesters inspired by demonstrators in other parts of the Arab world took to the streets to demand an end to his rule.

Wednesday’s developments come after U.N. envoy Jamal Benomar,with support from U.S. and European diplomats,managed to devise a compromise to implement the power transfer deal crafted by the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Under the GCC plan,Saleh would shift all his powers to his deputy,Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi,who will form a new government with the opposition and call for an early presidential election within three months.

Saleh would keep his title until a new president is elected.

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Yemeni officials said Hadi was also in Sanaa for the signing ceremony and that opposition leaders and Benomar were due to fly to Riyadh later on Wednesday.

Months of protests aimed at forcing Saleh to end his 33-year rule have rekindled conflicts with Yemen’s Islamist militants and separatists,threatening anarchy in a country Washington regards as a front line against al Qaeda.

The unrest has also raised fear of civil war on the borders of Saudi Arabia,the world’s No. 1 oil exporter. Washington long backed Saleh in the fight against al Qaeda,but has lately joined neighbors trying to ease him from power.