President Ali Abdullah Saleh has made vague comments that he is willing to leave power in his first major speech since returning to Yemen, but he gave no concrete plan for the future of the country. Yemen’s opposition cast doubt that the embattled leader was serious.
It was not the first time Mr. Saleh has expressed a willingness to step down amid eight months of mass protests demanding his ouster. Still, he has repeatedly refused to resign immediately and rejected a U.S.-backed deal for him to hand over his authority.
Mr. Saleh was gravely wounded in an explosion at his presidential palace in June, after which he left to Saudi Arabia for treatment.
During his absence, mediators and opposition groups sought to convince him to stay away and transfer power to his deputy a way to launch the regional power transfer deal. Mr. Saleh declined and returned abruptly to Yemen late last month.
A violent crackdown against Mr. Saleh’s opponents followed, with outright street battles in the capital Sanaa between troops loyal to Mr. Saleh’s son Ahmed and dissident military units and pro-opposition tribesmen.
In the meantime, the long-time leader has come under considerable pressure from the international community to step down. His new declaration Saturday aired on state TV gave little clue to his intentions.
Mr. Saleh spoke to a gathering of lawmakers, his hands encased in beige medical gloves for the treatment of burns from the June bombing. He didn’t shake hands with any of his guests, who instead, shook the hands of his deputy standing by his side.
“I never wanted power. I will reject power in the coming days. I will give it up,” he said. “But there are men who will take power. There are men who are true to their pledges, whether military or civilians, who will take power. They can never destroy the country.”
He did not elaborate or give any firm commitment to resign. Mr. Saleh said he would meet with parliament in the coming days to “transparently discuss” the situation in Yemen.
Mr. Saleh railed against the opposition forces, which he accused of being behind the chaos in the country. He also said they failed to cooperate with his deputy, who took over some of his duties while he was away. He said the opposition groups are holders of a “dark and destructive project.”
He ridiculed the opposition claims that he plans to transfer power to a member of his family.
“How many are the president’s sons? How big is the president’s family? How many brothers or grandchildren? How many of those are in power?” Mr. Saleh said.
His son Ahmed and several of the president’s nephews control powerful military units, and Ahmed has long been seen as Saleh’s heir apparent.
