Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh (right) with John Brennan The White House counter-terrorism chief briefed Yemen\'s vice-president on Monday on Washington\'s push for a swift transfer of power in the increasingly unstable nation, rattled by five months of anti-government protests and a growing threat from Al Qaida, a government official said.
John Brennan met Vice-President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in a bid to revive a power transfer deal proposed by Yemen\'s neighbours. Hadi has headed the government since embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh left for neighbouring Saudi Arabia to be treated for wounds he suffered in a June 3 attack on his compound in Sana\'a, Yemen\'s capital.
Brennan\'s meeting with Hadi follows talks with Saleh in a Saudi Arabia hospital a day earlier. Brennan asked Saleh on Sunday to \"expeditiously\" agree to the transition deal which would have him transfer power to the vice-president and step down, in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
It was the strongest and most public sign yet of US pressure on Saleh to accept the deal, brokered by Gulf Arab countries led by US ally Saudi Arabia.
Yesterday, Brennan briefed Hadi on the details of his meeting with Saleh, said the Yemeni government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Saleh, who has held on to power for more than three decades, has balked at signing the deal to step down. A Yemeni government statement said he told his American visitor that any transfer of power must be carried out in a democratic framework and under the guidance of the constitution, suggesting a gradual process he wants to oversee.
The statement said Saleh views the proposal as a \"basis\" for a national dialogue, language that suggests the Yemeni leader has not agreed to adopt the document.
Brennan urged Saleh to sign the transfer agreement quickly and that \"assistance will flow to Yemen\" when the deal is carried out, the White House said in a statement.
\"The United States believes that a transition in Yemen should begin immediately, so that the Yemeni people can realise their aspirations,\" the White House said in a statement.
Brennan told Saleh resolving the political crisis in his country is important so that the nation can face its serious challenges, \"including the terrorist attacks carried out by Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which have claimed the lives of hundreds of Yemeni citizens,\" the statement added. Brennan is expected to meet Yemeni opposition groups during his visit.
Hadi briefed Brennan on his previous meeting with the opposition groups regarding the transition plan, which envisions presidential elections two months after the initial handover of power.
A member of the opposition said that a proposed amendment to the transition plan, presented by Hadi, has been rejected because it was seen as an attempt to bypass the proposal.
From gulfnews .