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Yemeni president vows to step down when term ends in 2013 Ali Abdullah Saleh says he will not extend his presidency in a move that would end 30-year rule Yemeni President Saleh addresses the parliament in Sanaa The Yemen president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, said he would stand down in 2013. Photograph: Khaled Abdullah/Reuters The Yemen president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, said today he will not seek to extend his presidency when his term expires in 2013 a move that would end his three-decade rule. Eyeing protests that brought down Tunisia's leader and threaten to topple Egypt's president, Saleh also vowed not to pass on the reins of government to his son, but asked the opposition to postpone planned protests. "I present these concessions in the interests of the country. The interests of the country come before our personal interests," Saleh said. "No extension, no inheritance, no resetting the clock," he added, making reference to ruling party proposals to institute term limits that had been seen as allowing him to run again. His remarks came a day before a rally organised by the opposition, named a "Day of Rage" and expected to be a barometer of strength of the Yemeni people's will to follow Egypt and Tunisia in demanding a change of government. "I call on the opposition to freeze all planned protests, rallies and sit-ins," Saleh said. Yemen, already teetering on the brink of becoming a failed state, is trying to fight a resurgent al-Qaida, cement peace with Shia rebels in the north and quell separatism in the south, all in the face of crushing poverty that has left a third of Yemenis suffering from chronic hunger. Saleh had offered smaller concessions on presidential term limits and pledged to raise salaries of civil servants and military personnel by about $47 (£29) a month, no small move in a country where about 40% of the population lives on less than $2 a day. Yemen's current rules would require Saleh to step down as president when his term ends in 2013. But some members of his ruling party riled the opposition late last year by floating a proposal to lift that limit. The opposition tried to rally against the idea in December, but failed to bring large numbers onto the streets. Last week, however, the Yemeni opposition succeeded in getting around 16,000 to demonstrate for a change in government. ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
