Sana'a: Three senior army commanders, ambassadors and some tribes threw their support behind Yemen's anti-government protesters yesterday in a major blow to President Ali Abdullah Saleh as he tries to survive demands for his immediate departure.
In what could be a turning point in the anti-Saleh protests, Major General Ali Mohsin Al Ahmar, commander of the army's powerful 1st Armoured Division and Saleh's relative, yesterday declared his support for the revolution.
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"On my behalf and on behalf of my colleagues in the armed forces, I am declaring my support to the peaceful revolution of the young people. We will perform our duties fully by maintaining security and stability in the capital and wherever our military units are," Al Ahmar said.
Al Ahmar is considered the second-most influential military commander after the President.
Several ambassadors also resigned or expressed support for the protests yesterday. Abdullah Alaiwa, a former defence minister and adviser to the army staff, was among them, Al Jazeera said.
Yemen's consul in Dubai, Mohammad Saleh Al Qutesh, yesterday announced his support for the Yemeni youth and their "demands for freedom and dignity".
"After our long wait for our homeland's voice and interest to win, we declare our total support to the youth and their demands," said a statement jointly signed by Al Qutesh and the country's ambassador to Pakistan Abdou Abdul Rahman, the ambassador to Qatar Abdul Malek Saeed, the ambassador to Oman Abdul Rahman Khamis, and the ambassador to Spain Mustafa Ahmad No'man. According to the statement, a copy of which was sent to Gulf News, the new wave of support to the protesters comes "after developments have reached this turn, which threatens Yemen, its unity and its people's security"
In Brussels, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe yesterday said Saleh was facing an "unavoidable" exit from power.
"Today we must help those who want to advance human rights and build democracy. This is true for all countries. We tell Yemen that the situation is deteriorating," Juppe said.
