Yemeni President Saleh signs Gulf-brokered power deal

President Saleh is to step down within 30 days after signing the deal Yemeni communities have had varied reactions towards the power-transfer deal which was signed Wednesday night by Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the Saudi Capital, Riyadh, effectively ending his 33-year old rule. Some celebrated and considered the agreement to be the first step to end the crisis which has extended for 10 months, and had several direct and indirect impacts on the lives of Yemenis, while others expressed their refusal to accept the agreement as it did not directly achieve the goals of the peaceful youth revolution in their opinion.
Revelers said that it turns the page over the era of Saleh, who ruled Yemen for 33 years, and that it opened new horizons before Yemen and Yemenis to build the future they hoped for. The group believed that one of the most important goals of the Yemeni revolution, Saleh's resignation, was achieved by this agreement. Saleh's constitutional authorities are to be transferred to the Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi , who is to manage the affairs of the country during the transitional period and remain as consensual president in the second phase for two years.
The gradual resignation of President Saleh was nnot perceived as an obstacle to reform, as he will only retain his title without powers, until early elections take place within three months,  in addition to the reconstruction of the army and security to disarm them from the control of Saleh’s relatives.
Yemeni political sources say that legal guarantees which the Yemeni Parliament granted Saleh and around 500 of his staff included the period of his rule until last May, when the Opposition and the ruling party signed the Gulf Initiative. These sources confirm that those behind the crimes committed against demonstrators and peaceful protesters across Yemen after this date are to be transferred for investigation and a fair trial.
Those who oppose the agreement however, have gathered in squares, fanning out their anger on President Saleh and opposition leaders alike, protesting against the marginalisation of the youth revolution, and demanding that the president not be granted any immunity from prosecution and to be tried with his senior officials in court.
The youth hold the Opposition, who have accepted the agreement, fully responsible for signing the initiative which grants immunity and legal protection to the perpetrators of the recent crimes, without subjecting them to trial, saying that they seek the drop of Saleh’s regime completely so that they can establish the new civil Yemeni state.
The youth chanted slogans demanding the departure of Opposition Bloc “Al’Leqaa Al-Moshtarak”, and for the opposition to stay away from the revolution affairs and to not try to obstruct its path, stressing their determination to thwart any efforts to prevent the achievement of the objectives of the entire revolution. They called for "Million-Man" demonstrations on Thursday across cities of Yemen, to confirm the continuity the revolution and to demand the prosecution of all perpetrators of crimes against young demonstrators in the squares.
      Saleh signed the Gulf-brokered power transfer plan  in the presence of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah.
Live footage of the ceremony aired by Saudi state television showed Saleh ink the agreement after almost 10 months of bloody protests calling for him to resign.
In a statement made after he signed the deal, Saleh described what had happened in Yemen as a coup against the constitution.
But he said he had hoped for a democratic transfer.
“We hoped that the peaceful transfer of power to have occurred in a democratic way,” he said, but warned that the Yemen would take “years” to rebuild itself after the crisis.
“We welcome partnership with the opposition to manage the country’s affairs and rebuild what the crisis has destroyed,” Saleh said, stressing that it should be a “real partnership.”
But Yemeni protesters camped out in the capital’s Change Square rejected the signed agreement signed, calling for new demonstrations to demand his immediate departure
The organising committee of youth protesters, which led months of demonstrations demanding Saleh step down, said the Gulf-brokered deal “does not concern” protesters, Walid al-Amari told AFP.
Before the ceremony, Saleh told U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon he will come to New York for medical treatment immediately after signing the deal, Ban said on Wednesday.
The U.N. secretary-general told reporters the Yemeni leader told him of the trip during a telephone conversation on Tuesday.
“He told me that he will come to New York to take medical treatment immediately after signing this agreement,” Ban said.
“If he comes to New York I will be happy to meet him,” the secretary general added, saying he was “encouraged by the positive development of the situation in Yemen.”
Saleh had arrived in Riyadh early Wednesday for the signing of a Gulf-sponsored power-transfer deal, official Yemeni television reported amid renewed clashes in the capital.
“The president of the republic arrives safely to the airport of Riyadh to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, following an invitation from the Saudi leadership, to attend the signing of the Gulf initiative,” a ticker running on the bottom of Yemen TV said.
Saleh’s unannounced visit came after the U.N.’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.
Ahmed al-Soufi, the Yemeni President’s press secretary, told Al Arabiya on Tuesday that the final touches were being placed on the initiative, which is scheduled to be signed by Vice President Abd Rabbu Mansour and the opposition leaders, with the attendance of the U.N.’s Yemen envoy Jamal Benomar.
The GCC Secretary General Abdul Latif al-Zayani was also expected in Riyadh to attend the signing ceremony.
“All the parties have agreed to implement the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative,” envoy Jamal Benomar told reporters in the capital Sana’a.
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 Hadi.
Benomar, who arrived in Sana’a on November 10, has been working tirelessly to secure an agreement on the Gulf transition plan.
Saleh’s continued refusal to sign the initiative had 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.
The deputy leader of the ruling General People’s Congress, Sultan al-Barakani, told AFP Tuesday that final touches are being made to the implementation mechanism and the document of guarantees to the president and his entourage, based on the Gulf plan.
Benomar said Sunday that a U.N. Security Council meeting on Yemen scheduled for Monday was postponed.
State news agency Saba reported Tuesday that Saleh received a telephone call from U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who “thanked him for positively responding to the U.N. resolution 2014.”
The political crisis has also exacerbated tensions on the street where tens of thousands of anti-regime protesters have faced a brutal 10-month government crackdown that has left hundreds dead and thousands wounded.
 Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama urged Yemen to immediately implement the power-transfer deal.
"The United States will continue to stand by the Yemeni people as they embark on this historic transition," Obama said in a written statement.
"The United States urges all parties to move immediately to implement the terms of the agreement, which will allow Yemen to begin addressing an array of formidable challenges and chart a more secure and prosperous path for the future," Obama said.
He praised the Yemeni people for "courageously and steadfastly" pressing for change in their country despite "violence and extreme hardship."
"Today marks a significant step forward for the Yemeni people in their quest for a unified, democratic, secure, and prosperous Yemen," said Obama's top diplomat Hillary Clinton, praising neighboring Gulf states for their role in brokering the deal
"We urge all parties within Yemen to refrain from violence and to move swiftly to implement the terms of the agreement in good faith and with transparency -- including credible presidential elections within 90 days."
She said Washington would continue to "closely monitor" the political transition in Yemen, and looked forward to shoring up ties with Sanaa.
Forces loyal to Saleh, meanwhile, clashed early Wednesday with dissident tribesmen in the Yemeni capital, Al Arabiya reported.
The clashes broke out between gunmen loyal to dissident tribal chief Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar and pro-Saleh troops in al-Hasaba district, while explosions were heard in the nearby neighborhood of Sufan, an Al Arabiya correspondent said.
No casualties were immediately reported in the violence that broke out hours after Saleh landed in Riyadh.