Yemen grants Saleh immunity to try to end crisis

SANAA?? Yemen's parliament approved a law on Saturday granting outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh immunity from prosecution, part of a deal for him to formally step down after nearly a year of unrest.

Opposition politicians have accused the security forces, controlled by the president and aides, of using snipers to kill hundreds of demonstrators who, inspired by revolts elsewhere in the Arab world, protested since last January against his rule.

Lawmakers also voted for Vice-President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi becoming the candidate for all parties in a presidential election next month to replace Saleh following his 33-year rule.

The immunity law, backed by a majority, stops short of giving full protection to Saleh's aides after being amended to say they would only be protected for "politically motivated" crimes committed conducting official duties, not those considered "terrorist acts."

The deal, part of the plan hammered out by Yemen's wealthier Gulf neighbors to ease Saleh from power, will cover Saleh's entire presidency and cannot be cancelled or appealed.

Neighboring top oil exporter Saudi Arabia and the United States had backed autocratic Saleh for much of his rule, but endorsed the transition deal, fearing continued unrest would be exploited by al-Qaida's Yemen-based regional wing, seen by Washington as the network's most dangerous branch.

Visit to U.S.?
Yemeni officials said Saturday Saleh will leave soon to Oman, en route to medical treatment in the United States.

Washington has been trying to get Saleh out of Yemen ? though not to settle in the U.S. ? to allow a peaceful transition from his rule. However, there appear to be differences whether Saleh would remain in exile.

Senior ruling party official Mohammed al-Shayef said Saleh will return to Yemen to head the party after medical treatment. Al-Shayef told The Associated Press that Saleh will leave for Oman in the coming days, then head to America.

An official in the prime minister's office, however, said Saleh is "supposed to go back to Oman" after the U.S. He says Saleh's son Ahmed is currently in Oman arranging a residence.

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Timeline: Yemen turmoil (on this page)

On Saturday, a senior Yemeni official said Saleh would have diplomatic immunity if and when he traveled to the United States.

"We are waiting for a third country to approve the president's short visit prior to traveling to the U.S.," said the official, who is not authorized to speak to the press and so declined to be named. The official suggested that the third country was an Arab nation.

Some activists said the immunity deal showed that the successes of the protests could easily be overturned.

"We have lost all faith in the political opposition. If they can grant Saleh this kind of pardon perhaps they will pass more laws against us in the future, maybe next time they will pass laws banning demonstrations. We, as the youth, can longer trust them," said protest leader Faizah Suleiman.

But activist Abdulaziz Sakkaf, 22, said: "It is of course controversial but it is necessary if a peaceful transfer of power has any chance of succeeding. I don't support it in principle, but for pragmatic reasons."

Slideshow: Yemen in the spotlight (on this page)

Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakul Karman told Reuters Saleh and his inner circle must be barred from returning to power if the country was to have any chance of restoring stability.

Analysts say Yemen may become a failed state as the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country also faces challenges including Shiite rebels in the north, a resurgent southern separatist sentiment and al-Qaida-linked militants who have seized several towns in the south.

A tribal negotiator said on Saturday talks broke off with Tareq al-Dahab, leader of an Islamist militant group that took over the town of Radda, 105 miles southeast of the capital Sanaa, after he demanded that 16 al-Qaida militants be freed and Islamic law be enforced in the town.

Dahab had earlier said his fighters would withdraw if his brother and several others were freed.

Army forces and pro-government tribal fighters clashed with the militants after the talks broke down, targeting a historic fort where the Islamists have taken positions, residents said

Saleh's opponents accuse him of ceding territory to Islamists to bolster his assertion that his rule alone keeps al-Qaida from growing stronger in Yemen, and ultimately aiming to retain power by sabotaging the transition deal.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46081478/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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