Day of rage' protests end in Yemen without violence

Yemen's third ‘Day of Rage' has passed off peacefully. No major incidents of violence were recorded in the capital Sana'a and Taiz and other provinces where tens of thousands of pro-and anti-government protesters took to the streets on Tuesday. The opposition demonstrations, near the university of Sana'a demanded the ousting of President Ali Abdullah Saleh and those of the ruling party, in the main square of the capital, Tahrir Square. President Saleh was listening to demands of thousands of students and professors inside the Sana'a university, while protesters were chanting slogans against him outside the university on Tuesday. The opposition previously called for the "Day of Rage" to condemn the violence in the southern city of Aden where about 10 demonstrators were killed and many others injured over the last week. President Saleh formed a committee to investigate the Aden violence. Demonstrations in Aden and the south in general are different because of the secession demands by the separatist southern movement. On the eve of "Day of Rage", the spokesman of the Yemen opposition coalition, refused an offer by President Saleh to form a unity government for monitoring parliamentary elections and then presidential elections. Earlier on Monday, the most influential cleric in largest opposition party, Eslah, Abdul Majid Al Zandani offered to President Saleh in the name Yemen's clerics, a seven-point initiative including the formation of a unity government. Saleh agreed to it and added an eighth point, which calls for stopping protests. Al Zandani and almost all Yemeni clerics from all provinces held a meeting with President Saleh in his $80-million (Dh294 million) mosque, Al Saleh Mosque, near the Presidential Palace in Sana'a, to find a solution for rescuing their country from descending into chaos. "Say the truth, say the truth, you will be responsible before Allah Almighty for what might happen, those [opposition] are riding the wave of foolishness," Saleh told the clerics. "I know, and almost all of you in this room know, who pays for those demonstrations and why and how, you should say the truth," Saleh said in obvious reference to the billionaire Hamid Al Ahmar, who is widely believed to be supporting the anti-Saleh protesters while grooming himself for presidency. Initiative President Saleh said the opposition replied to his initiative of February 2, in which he said he would not stand for office when his current term ends, and his son would not succeed him, the opposition replied that "the time for dialogue is over". In an attempt to gain their support, President Saleh held dozens of meetings on a daily basis with the tribal leaders from the most powerful tribes including his tribe Hashed over the last few weeks, before he met the clerics on Monday. The religious leaders and tribal leaders are the most effective players in such a conservative country like Yemen.