Yemen's Saleh appears on TV for first time since attack

Yemen's Saleh appears on TV for first time since attack

2011-07-08 04:28:49 GMT+7 (ICT)

SANAA, YEMEN (BNO NEWS) -- Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh gave his first televised address on Thursday since being seriously injured in an attack on his presidential palace in early June.

The Yemen Post reported that Saleh, who has been hospitalized in Saudi Arabia since the attack, looked darker than usual due to the burns and his hands were seen in bad condition. He said he received great treatment in Riyadh and admitted having "eight successful operations."

Saleh, 69, said many government officials were injured in the bomb attack that hit the mosque of the presidential palace in Sanaa on June 3. He said that many officials including the speaker of parliament and other senior officials in the government underwent operations due to the burns.

President Saleh did not mention the transfer of power in his speech, but welcomed the partnership with opposition according to the constitution. "We are against cutting the roads in the name of democracy," Saleh said.

Since the months of February and March, violent clashes between anti-government movements and security forces began as part of wide-range uprisings in the Middle East since the beginning of the year.

In Yemen, 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.

Violence has continued escalating after Saleh threatened with civil war after refusing, for the third time, to sign a power transfer deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on May 22.

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.

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