LEADALL: Yemeni president quits power, opposition wants prosecution

By dpa correspondents Nov 24, 2011, 2:33 GMT

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh ceded power to his deputy on Wednesday, as international leaders welcomed the move, while the opposition demanded his prosecution and called for more protests.

Shortly after Saleh signed the deal in Riyadh, in Yemen angry protesters took to the streets calling for more protests against him on Thursday and Friday.

'We want Saleh on trial, not to be granted immunity,' said one protester.

Under the terms of the deal Saleh will transfer power to his deputy, Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi, within 30 days, followed 90 days later by a presidential election.

It also guarantees that Saleh, his family and close aides will not be prosecuted after the president steps down.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, Wednesday called the agreement a 'very important beginning' and urged Yemenis to stick to the agreement 'in good faith.'

US president Barack Obama welcomed the deal, saying it brought the Yemeni people 'a significant step closer to realizing their aspirations for a new beginning in Yemen.'

Saleh is the fourth leader to leave power as a result of the popular unrest of the so-called Arab Spring, following those toppled in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

His crackdown on protesters since January has left almost 900 people dead. Saleh's prosecution has been a key demand of the Yemeni opposition since the start of the uprising.

Saleh said after the signing that his country will need decades to undo the damage caused by the crisis.

He said he wished that the power transfer could have been 'more smooth and democratic.'

'The violence in Yemen has caused a rift in national unity,' he added.

He called for implementing the deal in good faith with support from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the United Nations.

Leaders from Yemen's opposition and ruling party signed the deal in the presence of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz and the UN envoy for Yemen, Jamal Benomar.

The opposition delegation was led by the head of the National Council, Mohamed Basindwa.

It included the leader of the coalition Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), Yasin Nomaan, and the secretary general of the Islamist Islah party, Abdul Wahab al-Ansi, which dominates the JMP.

The GCC plan has undergone lengthy modifications and negotiations.

Saleh had three times previously backed down from inking the accord.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that Saleh would head to New York to receive medical treatment after signing the deal.

In June, Saleh travelled to Saudi Arabia to be treated for injuries he sustained in an attack on his palace in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a.