Four Down: Yemen’s President Transfers Power

Yemen’s president became the fourth Arab leader forced from power this year when he signed a deal Wednesday aimed at ending his country’s months-long political crisis.

The deal, brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council and signed in Saudi Arabia, allows Ali Abdullah Saleh to retain the title of president for three months, but requires him to hand over executive powers to Yemen’s vice president.

The agreement cleared a key roadblock in the transition to a new era for Yemen, which has been the scene of violent protests for months as Saleh’s opponents demanded he leave power after 33 years in office.

“This monumental agreement will hopefully bring an end to the 10-month long turmoil in the homeland,” Mohammed Albasha, a spokesman for Yemen’s embassy in Washington, said in a statement.

After signing the deal, Saleh said that his country will “need decades to rebuild what the crisis left” and that the transfer of power should be “peaceful and democratic.”

Analysts said many uncertainties remain in Yemen’s political future — including when the country will hold elections and how Saleh’s family members and other supporters in the military will act now.

It was also unclear how protesters, who have demanded that Saleh be held accountable, would react to the agreement, which provided him with immunity from prosecution.

The GCC accord, which is backed by the United States and the European Union, allows Saleh to retain his title as Yemen’s president for 90 days, until elections are held, according to a Western diplomat in Yemen.

Before the deal’s signing, a presidential source said Saleh would remain permanently in Saudi Arabia after he signed it.
Another Yemeni government official said it was unclear what Saleh would do.