LEAD: Yemen's president leaves for US after asking for forgiveness

Jan 22, 2012, 18:39 GMT

Sana'a - Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh left for the United States on Sunday after asking his people for forgiveness for 'any shortcomings' during his 33-year rule, according to sources inside his ruling party.

His departure came one day after parliament approved a draft law to grant him immunity from prosecution, amid public outcry.

Saleh was expected to stop in Oman for a short visit before heading to the US, Al Arabiya broadcaster quoted an official in the ruling General People's Congress Party as saying.

Saleh left on a private Saudi plane a few hours after his family's departure, Yemen's Mareb Press reported, quoting an unidentified source at Sana'a airport. Earlier Sunday, Saleh said he would go to the US for medical treatment, state news agency SABA reported.

'I offer an apology to all Yemeni citizens,' Saleh said in an interview with several state broadcasters.

He called on Yemenis - who have protested against his rule for 11 months - to go back to their homes and 'open a new page' with acting president Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

Saleh said he would return to Yemen to attend the new president's inauguration and head his party.

Tens of thousands of Yemeni protesters took to the streets Sunday denouncing the immunity granted to Saleh as part of a deal to get him to step down.

Protesters across Yemen have been demanding that Saleh be brought to justice for his alleged involvement in corruption and the death of hundreds of protesters during anti-government demonstrations last year.

'If Saleh and the government want immunity from prosecution, then they should solicit it from the people concerned, who lost their relatives while seeking their rights of a decent life,' said Numan al-Amiry, 28, a protester from Sana'a.

Saleh's immunity is part of a Gulf Cooperation Council-brokered power transfer deal aimed at ending the unrest in the country.

The parliament also endorsed Hadi as a nominee in the presidential election set for February 21.

Under last-minute amendments to the law, Saleh is to get full immunity, while his aides are to be prosecuted for potential criminal offences.