Yemen: Yemeni president affirms to stay in power until 2013


SANA'A, (Xinhua): Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Saturday reaffirmed that he would stay in office until his term expires in 2013, rejecting an opposition transition roadmap to make him step down in 2011, official Saba news agency reported.

"The fourth point of the opposition's proposal, which stipulates Saleh to step aside in 2011, contradicts with the proposal's third point, stating that achieving a peaceful, smooth transition of power based on the commitment by President Saleh that he will not re-elect himself after his term ends in 2013 nor to pass power to his son," Saba quoted an official source at the presidential office as saying.

"The opposition's five-point road-map proposal is unclear and its arbitrary interpretations represent an open coup against the democracy and the Yemeni constitution," he said, adding that "any attempt to breach the constitution is not accepted."

The official response came three days after the opposition handed over its offer to the president, in which it said it guarantees an honorable ending of Saleh's 33-year service within this year through holding a presidential election, in which Saleh would not take part, but supervise it.