Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has authorised his deputy to negotiate a power transfer with the opposition, the state news agency SABA said Monday, finally agreeing to a proposal by Gulf countries to put an end to a months-long political crisis. Saleh, who has been absent from the country for more than three months, "has given the vice president Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi the necessary constitutional authority to negotiate" the power transfer mechanism with the opposition, SABA said.
The presidential decree authorises Hadi to sign on Saleh's behalf the so-called Gulf Initiative, which was proposed by the six-nation Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) and sets the path for a peaceful transition of power out of Saleh's hands. Hadi can "agree on a time-frame... and sign" the agreement, according to the decree.
Saleh, who has ruled Yemen since 1978 and has been recovering in Saudi Arabia from a June 3 attack on his presidential compound, also authorised Hadi to begin preparations for early presidential elections to be carried out under regional and international supervision. No date for the elections has so far been set. Saleh's current presidential term ends in 2013.
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