Benomar proposes law stipulating the departure of Saleh and al-Ahmar Sanaa – Khalid Haroji Popular youth protests against Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh continue across Yemen, denouncing the judicial law which would grant Saleh and his aides total immunity. Hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered on Friday in Seteen St in Sanaa, as other masses went out in similar protests across the cities of Yemen.
The youth protested against the immunity law which is expected to be approved by the Yemeni parliament in the coming days, after it has been ratified by the National Consensus Government. Sanaa youth called on revolutionaries in all Yemen to unite and stand strong to be able to confront the attempts to divide them and distract them from their revolution goals, by sectarian and regional conflicts.
Meanwhile, UN envoy Jamal Benomar proceeds with intensive negotiations to overcome the obstacles facing the political settlement and the peaceful power-transfer, with accordance to the GCC initiative and its mechanisms signed in Riyadh, Novermber 23, by Saleh, leaders of General People’s Congress party, and opposition leaders in the Joint Meeting bloc.
In this context, political sources told ‘Arabstoday’ than Benomar seeks to contain the disagreement between the president and his opponents, regarding the judicial immunity draft law, presented in its initial form by the president and leaders from his party, with reservations from the opposition parties which seek to make crucial amendments to it, particularly to its first article.
The first article of the submitted draft law states that Saleh and his aides are to be granted judicial and legal immunity, the second article states that the law cannot be revoked or appealed, whereas the third article states that the provisions of the law apply to acts that took place before its issuance.
Political sources explained that Yemeni opposition demanded that Saleh determines the names that are to benefit from the law, as they believe it is unreasonable for the law to include all aides without determining who they are. In addition, they demanded that those included in the law – and are to receive judicial immunity – are to give up their current governmental posts.
Sources pointed out that the opposition suggested the modifications to the draft law to the Security Council and GCC ambassadors, adding that Benomar seeks to convince the Yemeni president and the opposition of a new version to the immunity draft law, which takes all opinions and demands into consideration, in order to reach political settlement and respond to the calls of the revolution youth.
Media sources reported that the new draft law to be submitted by Jamal Benomar stipulates the exit of the Yemeni president and his aides from the country, so that Saleh never returns to Yemen, whereas his aides could be allowed to return after five years, however, would not be allowed to hold any political, military, or security posts. Al-Khaleej newspaper stated that the national settlement also requires the exit of a number of parties partaking in the crisis, including General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, and some of the sons of Sheikh Abdullah al-Ahmar, to give the government a chance to work without any political conficts