Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh arrived unexpectedly in Riyadh
early Wednesday for the signing of a Gulf-sponsored power-transfer deal,
an official told AFP.
Saleh's visit came after the UN's Yemen
envoy said on Tuesday a deal aimed at ending months of political
deadlock had been approved both by the opposition and by the president.
"All
the parties have agreed to implement the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
initiative," envoy Jamal Benomar told reporters in the capital Sanaa.
Official
Yemeni television said Saleh, who had previously refused to stand down
despite street protests, was to "attend the signing of the Gulf
countries' initiative and the implementation mechanism."
The plan
put forward last spring by the GCC countries headed by Saudi Arabia
offers Saleh and his relatives immunity from prosecution if he hands
over power to his deputy, Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi.
Benomar, who arrived in Sanaa on November 10, has been working tirelessly to secure an agreement on the Gulf transition plan.
Saleh's
continued refusal to sign the initiative has triggered months of
political deadlock that has left the government in a state of chaos and
the economy in shambles.
The political crisis has also exacerbated
tensions on the street where tens of thousands of anti-government
protesters have faced a brutal 10-month government crackdown that has
left hundreds dead and thousands wounded.
The plan submitted by the six-nation GCC will effectively bring an end to Saleh's 33-year rule.
The
political turmoil in Yemen has seen powerful tribes and army dissidents
join opposition parliamentarians and tens of thousands of protesters in
their struggle to oust Saleh.
