Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh | featured news

DUBAI (Reuters) - Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh signed a Gulf initiative on Wednesday to hand over power to his deputy as part of a proposal to end months of protests that have pushed the Arab country to the brink of civil war.

Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh said on Saturday he would leave power in the coming days, the closest the veteran leader has come to announcing he plans to step down after nine months of mass protests against his 33 year rule.

Nearly 100,000 Yemenis protested Friday in a main square of the capital demanding that the wounded president, currently outside the country, be removed from power.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s burns may require months to heal, an official said, pointing to an extended absence.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who underwent surgery in Saudi Arabia for a shrapnel wound, would return to Yemen within days, his vice president said on Monday.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh left Yemen and flew into Saudi Arabia on Sunday for medical treatment, pitching Yemen deeper into turmoil after months of protests against his three-decade rule.

Hundreds of Islamic militants solidified their control over a town in southern Yemen Sunday after seizing tanks in clashes with fleeing soldiers, military officials said. Opponents of the country’s embattled president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, accused him of allowing the militants to freely seize Zinjibar in a bid to stoke Western fears that al-Qaida would take over the country if he responded to demands by demonstrators to step down.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh refuses to sign the accord for him to step down with immunity, and a regional council says it is ceasing efforts for a deal. Saleh backers besiege an embassy where envoys had gathered to witness the signing.

Gunmen surrounding an embassy are angry about efforts by Arab mediators to ease Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh out of power.

According to a top Yemeni official, Ali Abdullah Saleh would cede authority if certain conditions are met, including immunity for himself and his family.