Yemeni President Saleh applies for U.S. visa to seek medical treatment

Yemeni President Saleh applies for U.S. visa to seek medical treatment

2011-12-29 07:13:22 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has applied for a visa to enter the United States for medical treatment, the U.S. State Department confirmed on Wednesday. He was injured in an assassination attempt on June 3rd.

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner confirmed Saleh had applied for a visa, but shot down rumors suggested in a New York Times report that a decision had already been made. "Despite reports to the contrary, the United States is still considering President Saleh's request to enter the United States for the sole purpose of seeking medical treatment." he said.

Toner gave no indication on when a decision could be made, but did reiterate that no announcement would be made until the process was complete. "Only at the end of this internal review process will a final visa adjudication be made. The Department of State will confirm that a decision has been reached only after this process has been completed," he said.

Saleh previously spent more than three months in Saudi Arabia to recover from injuries he sustained in a rocket attack which hit the mosque of the presidential palace in Sanaa on June 3. It was part of an uprising against his government which began in February, resulting in a crackdown by security forces which left at least 1,500 people killed.

Saleh signed a political agreement brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) late last month, effectively ending the 11 months of political turmoil. Under the accord, Saleh agreed to hand over his powers to Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour al-Hadi who took over as Acting President on December 23.

The timetable set out in the agreement includes the formation of a government of national consensus, presidential elections within 90 days, a national dialogue, a constitutional review and a program of reforms that starts to tackle the profound humanitarian, economic and security challenges that Yemen faces.

But Saleh received immunity from prosecution under the agreement, which has been rejected by some protesters. A national unity government, led by Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi, was sworn in earlier this month in an effort to restore peace and democracy. The ruling party and opposition parties evenly divided the 34 ministries.

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