Report: Yemeni president to deliver speech within 48 hours

Report: Yemeni president to deliver speech within 48 hours

2011-06-27 00:01:03 GMT+7 (ICT)

SANAA (BNO NEWS) -- Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh will address the nation within 48 hours from a hospital in Saudi Arabia, where he is receiving treatment after a rocket attack on his presidential palace earlier this month, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.

"President Saleh will deliver a speech more likely through phone from the Saudi capital within the next two days, which would be live-aired by the Yemeni state television," the ruling party's spokesman Tarik al-Shami told Xinhua.

Al-Shami insisted that Saleh would not give "green light for power transition during his absence," but added that "such decision is up to him as he is the authorized leader to deal with it."

According to al-Shami, Saleh is in good health, but he still needs to recuperate. No specific date has been set for his return.

Meanwhile, an official of the president office said that Saleh's speech might be related to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) deal, which was suspended by GCC leaders on May 22 after Saleh refused to sign it for the third time.

The GCC-proposed plan included guarantees that Saleh will not be prosecuted after his resignation within 30 days from the acceptance date. It also called for holding presidential elections within two months from the date of Saleh's departure as well as the establishment of a new government within 90 days.

Saleh, 69, was wounded along with other government officials in the bomb attack that hit the mosque of the presidential palace in Sanaa on June 3. They were hospitalized in Riyadh for treatment the following day.

Protesters have continually demanded the resignation of government leaders and President Saleh, who has ruled the country for 32 years. Tens of thousands of Yemenis have participated throughout the year, and on March 18, security forces opened fire against protesters in Sanaa, killing at least 52 people.

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