Sana'a: Yemen’s government and the opposition are set to sign a deal on May 2, for an orderly transition of power and end three months of violence that has claimed more than 130 lives, an official told AFP.
An official of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which brokered the agreement, said the two sides have been invited to Riyadh to ratify the deal.
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“The delegations of the Yemeni government and the opposition will sign the agreement on Monday at a ceremony in Riyadh,” the official in the Saudi capital said, asking not to be named.
Yemen’s ruling party confirmed its representatives will attend.
“We have received an invitation from Saudi Arabia to sign in Riyadh an agreement on the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative,” the deputy secretary general of Yemen’s ruling General People’s Congress, Sultan Al Barakani, said.
Delegation
A leader from the Common Forum, a coalition of Yemen’s parliamentary opposition, said a delegation from his group would also head to Riyadh on Wednesday to sign the agreement.
Al Barakani said the ambassadors of the US, European Union members, GCC states and a UN representative in Riyadh will witness the signing.
The GCC had proposed the formation of a government of national unity in Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh transferring his powers to his vice president, and an end to deadly protests.
Under the initiative, Saleh would submit his resignation to parliament within 30 days, with a presidential election being held within two months.
Opposition spokesman Mohammad Qah’tan said the Common Forum told GCC secretary-general Abdul Latif Al Zayani of the decision to accept the transition.
