Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh Yemeni opposition parties refused to hold a dialogue with the government yesterday in order to end the chaos which the country has witnessed since the demonstrations and popular movements calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s departure began. Observers have noticed that there have been some efforts by the General People’s Congress Party, headed by President Saleh for 33 years, to try to start up a dialogue with the opposition to negotiate holding elections. The opposition informed ArabsToday that the parties that have joined hands in a coalition are not interested in any form of dialogue with the authorities. They want to see Saleh step down first, according to the GCC’s (Gulf Cooperation Council) recommendations. President Saleh has refused to sign this agreement on three occasions, even though he has always said beforehand that he would agree to it.
Sources stated: “Dialogue was always one of our conditions, but the events that have taken place over the last three months, and the experience that we have gone through have convinced us that we have gone past that stage.” Adding: “After the departure of President Saleh, who is receiving treatment in Saudi Arabia after an explosion in the mosque of the Palace residency early last June, the opposition has said that they are willing to go into dialogue after he steps down, and that they do not trust the promises that he has made in the past to mediators in the Gulf, Europe and the U.S..”
Observers in Yemen have denied knowledge of plans by the Vice President General Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, to formulate a road map to solve the Yemeni crisis. Hadi’s announced this plan during a meeting with members of his government, senior officials representing the ruling party, and his parliamentary group, on Sunday. The Yemeni news agency “SABA” has quoted the Vice President as talking about efforts to save Yemen, solutions recommended by the GCC and the United Nations. According to “SABA”, the Vice President wants influential parties in his country to be aware of the dangerous consequences that would occur if no solution to the crisis is found in the very near future. Hadi claimed that this failure would lead to the destruction of the institutions, and the division of the country.
According to government sources President Saleh wants to stay in office until new presidential elections are held. However, this has been rejected by the opposition and the youth who have been protesting in the main squares of Yemeni cities for the last few months.