GULF PROPOSAL FAILS TO EASE YEMEN CRISIS CCTV News

GULF PROPOSAL FAILS TO EASE YEMEN CRISIS CCTV News


Both sides in Yemen have rejected a Gulf Arab initiative for a peaceful transition of power. President Ali Abdullah Saleh refuses to go early, and protestors reject any hint of immunity from prosecution. Monday saw another blow to attempts for a peaceful transition of power in Yemen. President Ali Abdullah Saleh rejected a proposal by Gulf Arab nations that he step down before the end of his term in 2013. Clashes between demonstrators and security forces have been deadly at times during two months of daily protests. More than 120 people have been killed. On Sunday, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council called on Saleh to step down as part of a deal with the protest movement. Last week, Saleh rejected a mediation offer by the GCC, which had invited Saleh and opposition groups to Saudi Arabia for talks. In its Sunday offer, the GCC did not specify a timeframe for a transfer of power to Saleh's deputy. But it included protections for the president and his family from prosecution for crimes under his leadership - another condition rejected by the opposition. The protesters' demands include seeing Saleh and his family members be put on trial. Saleh's carefully worded rejection statement praised the GCC's offer, but insisted on his remaining in office until the 2013 elections. But his supporters and pro-government groups went further, calling the GCC offer a "flagrant interference in Yemen's internal issues." Tens of thousands of protesters kept up the pressure. In Sanaa, the ...