Top US diplomat to visit Yemen in 4-day tour

A top US diplomat is to arrive in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a to meet with senior government officials and activists as the US-backed Yemeni government fears for its stability. US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman will arrive in the capital on Sunday and his visit will last until Wednesday, AFP reported. He will meet with President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, other senior officials, and opposition activists. On Saturday, Hadi urged political parties to abandon their differences amid fears over attempts to overthrow his government. Former dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who ruled Yemen for 33 years, stepped down in February under a US-backed power transfer deal in return for immunity after nearly a year of mass street protests against his rule. His deputy, Hadi, a UK-trained field marshal, replaced him on February 25 following a single-candidate presidential election backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia. Hadi will serve for an interim two-year-long period as stipulated by the power transfer deal. Protests rage on across the country, with the public demanding the removal of the remnants of the former regime. Currently Saleh's eldest son, Ahmed, commands the elite Republican Guard, the former dictator’s nephew, Yehya, heads the central security services, and another nephew, Tariq, controls the Presidential Guard. Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) party has also 17 ministers in the 34-member unity cabinet.