Gulf council presents transition plan to Yemen's leader

Gulf council presents transition plan to Yemen's leader

2011-04-22 04:40:48 GMT+7 (ICT)

SANAA, YEMEN (BNO NEWS) -- The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Thursday presented Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh a proposal to end the country's crisis, Arab News reported.

The proposal from the six-nation council is calling for Saleh's resignation within 30 days from the date of its acceptance and guarantees that he will not be prosecuted. It also says that a presidential poll needs to be held within two months from the date of Saleh's departure, while a new government will be installed within 90 days.

"This new plan was presented by GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif Al-Zayani, who held wide-ranging talks with Saleh in the Yemeni capital Thursday," said a spokesman of the GCC General Secretariat in Riyadh.

Al-Zayani and Saleh discussed the proposal, which calls for installation of a unity government with 50 percent of the members from the ruling party, 40 percent from the opposition groups and 10 percent from other factions.

President Saleh welcomed the efforts made by the GCC and affirmed on the positive dealing with those efforts to secure Yemen's security, stability and unity, the state-run Saba news agency reported.

Saleh had earlier said he would not leave power until his term ends in 2013, but he has pledged not to seek his reelection or hand over power to his son.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-04-22