Yemeni President Saleh signs Gulf-brokered power deal

President Saleh is to step down within 30 days after signing the deal   At least five people were killed when gunmen including Yemeni security forces opened fire on protestors in the centre of the capital Sanaa on Thursday, witnesses and a hospital official told the Reuters news agency. Witnesses said the gunmen shot at protestors on the capital's Zubayr street. At least four bodies brought from the scene of the shooting were visible at a nearby hospital, where an official said the death toll so far was five.
Yemeni communities 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, but warned that the Yemen would take “years” to rebuild itself after the crisis.
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.
Saleh’s unannounced visit to Riyadh 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.
“All the parties have agreed to implement the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative,” UN 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 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.
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.