Yemeni President resists calls to resign

Yemeni President resists calls to resign

2011-04-25 01:47:45 GMT+7 (ICT)

SANAA, YEMEN (BNO NEWS) -- Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said he accepts a peaceful and smooth transition under the Constitution since power cannot just be transferred to protesters.

"Who shall I hand it over to? Those who are trying to make a coup? No. We will do it through ballot boxes and referendums. We'll invite international observers to monitor," Saleh said in an exclusive interview with the BBC.

"Any coup is rejected because we are committed to the constitutional legitimacy and don't accept chaos," he added.

The president's comments came after he agreed to a plan proposed by the Gulf Cooperation Council, which calls for his 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.

Opposition parties welcomed the plan, but protesters are still pressing for Saleh's immediate departure. Opponents have also rejected the idea of immunity and believe Saleh would not stick to the agreement.

On Sunday, there were mass anti-government protests across the country. Protesters criticized the negations and demanded Saleh's resignation.

In the exclusive interview with the BBC, Saleh described weeks of protests against his 32-year rule as a "coup" and claimed that Islamist extremists had infiltrated protest camps.

According to the UN, it is estimated that the recent political turmoil in Yemen has led to more than 100 deaths and hundreds of injuries. President Saleh has blamed the unrest on a foreign agenda and added that some hostile media outlets have exaggerated about the situation in Yemen.

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