President Ali Abdullah Saleh said on Friday he was ready to cede power to prevent more bloodshed in Yemen but only to what he called “safe hands” as a massive “Day of Departure” street protest against him began.
Western countries are alarmed that Al Qaeda militants entrenched in the Arabian Peninsula country could exploit any chaos arising from a messy transition of power if Mr Saleh, a pivotal US and Saudi ally fighting for his political life, finally steps down after 32 years in office.
“We don’t want power, but we need to hand power over to safe hands, not to sick, resentful or corrupt hands,” Mr Saleh said in a rousing speech to supporters shown on state television as tens of thousands of his foes rallied elsewhere in the capital Sanaa. Thousands of Saleh supporters in Sanaa were also out early on the streets for what they dubbed the “Friday of Tolerance”, with banners saying “No to chaos, yes to security and stability.” Some were carrying guns and Yemeni daggers, others were wavings flags and playing patriotic songs. —Reuters