Qatar withdrew from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) mediation effort aimed at ending the current crisis in Yemen.
Qatar withdrew from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) mediation effort aimed at ending the current crisis in Yemen.The gas-rich country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani informed GCC chief Abdullatif al-Zayani of his government's decision by telephone, a foreign ministry spokesman said late on Thursday.
The decision was based on "indecision and delays in the signature of the proposed agreement" and "the intensity of clashes" in Yemen.
Yemen has been, for months, braced for anti-government demonstrations calling for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in rule since 1969. Security forces killed at least 19 protesters in recent days.
The GCC chief earlier condemned the violence and called on all parties to sign up to the bloc's proposals for a peaceful transition. Saleh has so far refused, insisting that he wants to serve out his current term of office, which expires in 2013.
The GCC plan proposes the formation of a government of national unity, Saleh transferring power to his vice president, and an end to the deadly protests in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest nation.
In an attempt to revive the mediation initiative, al-Zayani is due to visit Yemen's capital, Sanaa, on Saturday.
Supporters and opponents of the veteran president are due to hold rival mass rallies in the capital after the main weekly prayers on Friday.
Opposition activists urged impoverished Yemen's wealthy Gulf Arab neighbors, who have been mediating in the crisis, to support their "people's revolution."
5 SOLDIERS KILLED IN SUSPECTED AL-QAEDA AMBUSH
On the other hand, five soldiers were killed on Friday in a suspected Al-Qaeda ambush near the town of Marib, east of Sanaa, a security official told AFP news agency.
"The vehicle was ambushed with an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) and all five soldiers inside died," the official said. "Al-Qaeda is suspected of carrying out this attack."
