SANA'A: Deep divisions within Yemen's opposition appeared to doom an Arab proposal for the president to step down within a month, raising the prospect of more bloodshed and instability in a nation already beset by deep poverty and conflict. President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled for 32 years, agreed Saturday to the Gulf Cooperation Council's formula for him to transfer power to his vice president within 30 days of a deal being signed in exchange for immunity from prosecution for him and his sons. A coalition of seven opposition parties generally accepted the deal. But thousands stood their ground Sunday in a permanent protest camp in part of the capital, Sana'a, and their leaders said they suspect Saleh is just maneuvering to buy time and cling to power. Potesters say the established political parties taking part in the talks with Arab mediators do not represent them and cannot turn off the rage on the streets. “President Saleh has in the past agreed to initiatives and he went back on his word,” said Khaled Al-Ansi, one of the youth leaders organizing the street protests. “We have no reason to believe that he would not do this again.” So far, Saleh has outrun more than two months of protests pressing for him to immediately step down, thanks in large part to the unwavering loyalty of the country's best military units, which are controlled by one of his sons and other close relatives. That seems to have insulated him even as outrage over the severity of his crackdown on protesters has stripped him of many close allies in his party, his tribe and the military. International pressure is also bearing down on him to leave, including from the United States, which had backed his rule with millions in financial assistance and military aid for fighting the active Al-Qaeda branch that has taken root in the country. The protesters in the streets, who are from an array of different backgrounds and are not represented in the talks, reject the proposal outright and want nothing short of Saleh's immediate resignation and his trial on charges of corruption and for the killings of unarmed protesters. Mohammed Al-Sabri, spokesman for the opposition political parties, said the coalition does not want to discuss a unity government until after Saleh is out of power. “How could we form a government that gets sworn in by a president who has lost his legitimacy?” he said. The protesters, meanwhile, are calling for more rallies in the next few days to intensify the pressure.
