http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/world/middleeast/13yemen.html

September 12, 2011

Yemeni Leader Says Deputy Can Pursue Deal to Transfer Power

By LAURA KASINOF

SANA, Yemen -- Yemen's official news agency published a decree on Monday signed by President Ali Abdullah Saleh granting his deputy the authority to negotiate and sign a deal to transfer power, a move that appeared to offer a nod to the government's formal opposition without actually meeting its demands.

"Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour al-Hadi has the constitutional authority to conduct a dialogue with the signatories of the initiative made by the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, agree on the mechanism of its implementation and the subsequent signing of the initiative on our behalf," read the decree, published by the Saba news agency.

Mr. Saleh remains in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, recovering from severe wounds he suffered when a bomb hit a mosque in the presidential palace in June. His decree comes after months of steadfastly rejecting international pressure to cede power, during which time Islamic militants have taken control of parts of the fragmented country, the political opposition has maintained its own pressure, and street protesters in the capital continue their sit-in.

The G.C.C. initiative, brokered months ago by Persian Gulf states with support from the United States and other Western nations, offers Mr. Saleh immunity in exchange for early presidential elections. The initiative, which has circulated in various drafts, leaves many details unsettled, including the timing of the vote and the mechanics of military control during any transition.

Mr. Saleh, a canny leader who has held power in this fractious country for 33 years, appears to be biding for time by offering talks on those specifics. However, the formal opposition, known as the Joint Meetings Parties, wants Mr. Saleh's commitment to step aside before nailing down the final details, fearing that he will manage to manipulate the conditions to somehow allow for his return as president. And the street protesters, who have only sometimes aligned with the formal opposition, say they will accept nothing less than his departure.

"From the beginning, we reject any dialogue," said a 26-year-old protester, Hussein Moghram, in a telephone interview from a tent at the sit-in.

"Our demand is clear that Saleh and his family need to go without any negotiations. The J.M.P. is doing political work that we don't have any relationship with."

Adding to the general distrust that Mr. Saleh's decree represented a real concession, the decree made no mention of delegating control of the armed forces, which Mr. Saleh's family dominates through its leadership of several elite divisions. Further, Mr. Saleh agreed to sign the G.C.C. initiative at the end of April, only to back out at the last second.

The Joint Meetings Parties did not immediately react to the Monday decree, but a leading member, Mohammed Qahtan, issued a statement calling "any talk of dialogue before the signing of the G.C.C. initiative a waste of time."

"The revolution is proceeding and will not pay any attention to any of this nonsense," Mr. Qahtan said.

Still, one prominent Yemeni political analyst, Abdul-Ghani al-Iryani, said that the decree would have an impact, because now Mr. Hadi would be the governing party's representative, not Mr. Saleh.

"I think it's still a very big step," Mr. Iryani said. "Giving legal authority to the vice president allows him to decide what's best for the country."

"Now this is the great test for the vice president," he said. "It is his opportunity to rise to the occasion and be the statesman that Yemen so badly needs at this moment. Saleh was holding everyone back, and now Saleh has let go."