Sana'a: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a key US ally against Al Qaida, said yesterday he will not seek to extend his presidency in a move that would end his three-decade rule when his current term expires in 2013.
Eyeing protests that swept Tunisia's leader from power and threaten to topple Egypt's president, Saleh also vowed not to pass on the reins of government to his son. He also appealed to the opposition to call off protests as a large rally loomed.
"I present these concessions in the interests of the country. The interests of the country come before our personal interests," Saleh told his parliament, Shoura Council and members of the military.
"No extension, no inheritance, no resetting the clock," he said, making reference to ruling party proposals on term limits that had been seen as designed to enable him to run again.
The move was Saleh's boldest gambit yet to stave off anti-government turmoil spreading in the Arab world. Analysts said it was an attempt to avert a showdown with the opposition until after regional unrest cools.
People's will
Saleh's remarks came a day before a planned large opposition rally, dubbed a "Day of Rage", seen as a barometer of the size and strength of the Yemeni people's will to follow Egyptians and Tunisians in demanding a change of government.
"I call on the opposition to freeze all planned protests, rallies and sit-ins," Saleh said. "I call on the opposition after this initiative to come and form a national unity government in spite of the ruling party majority. We will not allow chaos. We will not allow destruction."
Yemen, already slipping towards becoming a failed state, is trying to fight a resurgent Al Qaida branch, cement peace with Al Houthi rebels in the north and quell separatism in the south, all in the face of crushing poverty. One third of Yemenis suffer from chronic hunger. The biggest opposition party welcomed the initiative but said today's rally in the capital Sana'a would go ahead as planned.
"We consider this initiative positive and we await the next concrete steps. As for our plan for a rally tomorrow, the plan stands and it will be organised and orderly," said Mohammad Al Sa'adi, undersecretary of the Islamist Islah (reform) party. "This is a peaceful struggle through which the people can make their voices heard and express their aspirations." Saleh had already offered lesser concessions on presidential term limits and pledged to raise civil servants' and military salaries by around $47 a month, no small move in a country where about 40 per cent of the population lives on less than $2 a day.
However, the pledges yesterday went much further. Saleh promised direct election of provincial governors which would give Yemenis more control over local governance.
