Saleh will not leave Yemen

Yemen's outgoing president has decided to stay in the country, reversing plans to leave, his ruling party said, in an apparent attempt to salvage his control over the regime, which has appeared to unravel in the face of internal revolts and relentless street protests. In a sign of the fraying, the son and nephew of President Ali Abdullah Saleh launched a crackdown on suspected dissidents within the ranks of the elite security services they command, officials within the services said. The Republic Guard, led by the son, and Central Security, led by the nephew, have been the main forces used in trying to suppress the uprising against Saleh's rule the past year. Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis marched in the streets of Sana'a and other cities yesterday, demanding that Saleh be put on trial for the deaths of protesters killed in the crackdown since February. Article continues below Power transfer deal "We will not let you escape," protesters chanted, holding up posters of the president with a noose around his neck. Saleh signed a power transfer agreement in early November that was meant to ease him out of power after nearly 33 years of rule in hopes of calming the turmoil that has shaken this impoverished Arab nation for months. Under the accord, Saleh handed over all his authorities to his vice president and committed to step down formally once parliament grants him immunity from prosecution. Saleh's flip-flop on leaving the country was the latest show of the mercurial way he has handled the crisis since it erupted. Last weekend, he told reporters he would travel to the US for a period to help bring calm to his nation. But on Saturday, he met with figures from the People's Congress Party and decided to stay. "It is not possible in any way, shape or form to allow the collapse of state establishments and institutions that have been built over the last 49 years," Saleh said in a statement addressing the new threats. He did not mention his plans to stay in Yemen. But tribal chief Shaikh Mohammad Al Shayef, who is also a leading member of Saleh's People's Congress Party, said separately that the president had decided to remain because of the unrest, which Al Shayef blamed on the opposition and said was a violation of the power-transfer agreement. Reversal "Dangerous developments have led to this decision" to stay, Al Shayef said. "It is in the interest of Yemen that Saleh remains in here." Washington has been hesitant to allow Saleh to enter the US, wary of being seen to give refuge to a leader considered by many of his people to have blood on his hands. That may have played a major part in Saleh's reversal. But the president likely also wants to be present to direct his loyalists and put pressure on Hadi and the unity government, said Abdul Bari Taher, a political analyst.