CAIRO: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday it was too early to call an outcome in Yemen, describing the situation there as very unsettled. Gates, in a visit to the Egyptian capital, said the situation was "evidently very unsettled in Yemen."
"It's too soon to call an outcome." He said Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh had been a valuable partner for Washington's fight against Al-Qaeda militants but acknowledged rising popular discontent in the country.
"We have had a good working relationship with President Saleh. He's been an important ally in the counter-terrorism arena.
"But clearly there's a lot of unhappiness inside Yemen. And I think we will basically just continue to watch the situation." Asked if the US government was anticipating Saleh's downfall, Gates said: "We haven't done any post-Saleh planning, if you will." Yemen's parliament on Wednesday approved a state of emergency declared by Saleh despite an appeal from young Yemenis that it could trigger a new "massacre" aimed at quelling their anti-regime protests. Saleh has ruled for more than three decades but now faces an escalating campaign for his removal.
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