YEMEN: A senior adviser of President Ali Abdullah Saleh rejects transition talks in leader's absence

Record ID: 269372

  • Title: YEMEN: A senior adviser of President Ali Abdullah Saleh rejects transition talks in leader's absence
  • Date: 24th June 2011
  • Summary: PHOTOGRAPH OF AL SOUFI
  • Embargoed: 9th July 2011 13:00
  • Keywords: Yemdunc
  • Location: Yemen, Yemen
  • Country: Yemen
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA8PFOD0HAF8ST8Q8090A658N14
  • Story Text: A senior aide of Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Thursday (June 23) rejected the idea of talks about a transition of power in the absence of the leader who is recovering in Saudi Arabia after an attack.
    Ahmed al Soufi's comments came after U.S. Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman urged the government for immediate transfer of power during a visit to Sanaa.
    Al Soufi said that Feltman proposed the Gulf initiative transition plan during the talks.
    "For sure the Gulf initiative is one of ideas that Feltman came to sell. The second was to talk about the assassination attempt on President in the presidential Nahdeen Mosque. The third topic was how to encourage the normalisation of current political situation, both in terms of the ceasefire, or encourage the members of the (opposition) JMP to join hands to prevent protests, which are led by militias," al Soufi told Reuters in an interview.
    But al Soufi rejected the proposal, saying such plans could not be discussed in Saleh's absence.
    "Feltman is a senior U.S. official, he came to exert pressure on members of the government. We agree with him on some issues and disagree with him on many others -- such as talking about a smooth and peaceful transition of power in the absence of the president," al Soufi said.
    The Saleh adviser also said talks with Feltman were of "no value".
    "What emerged from his visit was nothing of value. You know that the United States of America makes promises but does not provide anything at all. We are now fighting al-Qaeda in Abyan alone, and facing a military rebellion inside Hadhramaut that led to the escape of a number of senior al-Qaeda figures," he said.
    The official said Saleh was recovering well from injuries he sustained earlier in June during a bomb attack.
    "The health of the president is reassuring. He is now establishing contact and communicates with the administrative apparatus of the government in a systematic manner. He issues directives, blesses decisions, and reads about events taking place inside the country. He could not appear in front of the cameras because he has not completed the process of cosmetic surgery caused by the burns."
    Top Yemeni officials were also wounded in the blast.
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