Gulf ministers meet to discuss Yemen

11/04/2011| IslamWeb

Gulf Arab foreign ministers, seeking a resolution to the political crisis in Yemen, have urged Ali Abdullah Saleh, the country's president, to ensure a peaceful transition to his deputy.

Meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Sunday, they also called for the formation of a national unity government - headed by the opposition - to prepare for fresh elections and a new constitution, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Yemen said.
More than 120 people have been killed since protests in Yemen calling for an end to Saleh's rule began on February 11, inspired by popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt which toppled long-serving leaders.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting took place as thousands of protesters continued to demand the resignation of Saleh.
The GCC is made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The Riyadh meeting was called to evaluate the official response of Saleh and Yemen's opposition coalition to the GCC mediation effort.
A Gulf diplomat earlier said that Yemen, which is not part of the six-member GCC, now wanted assurances that the group would only mediate and not dictate any outcomes.
"If there is a [mediation] meeting it will be under the auspices of the GCC secretariat under one condition that the GCC will not get involved in the final decision," he said.
"The Yemenis won't agree to the talks in Saudi unless they get a promise from the GCC that they won't get involved."
On the ground, meanwhile, there has been no let-up in the demonstrations against Saleh's 32-year rule.
A mass march to the United Nations building in Sanaa, the capital, was cancelled on Sunday amid fears of reprisals by security forces.
One person was killed and up to 500 people were reportedly injured after security forces using live fire hit dozens of demonstrators in overnight clashes in Sanaa and Taiz, a city in the country's south, medics said.
"One protester died of his wounds late on Saturday," said a medic treating casualties at a makeshift field hospital in Taiz.
In Sanaa, security forces shot and wounded 30 people on Saturday, while 80 others suffered injuries from beatings with batons, medics and demonstrators said.
Another 1,200 people needed treatment for tear-gas inhalation, according to a medical team set up by mostly young protesters who have staged a sit-in at a square near Sanaa University since February.
PHOTO CAPTION
Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh is seen during a rally with his supporters in Sanaa April 8, 2011.
Al-Jazeera

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