Yemeni television expected to air speech by President Ali Abdullah Saleh who has not appeared in public since he was wounded

Yemeni television will air a speech later Thursday by President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has not appeared in public since he was wounded in an explosion at his palace last month, the defense ministry said.

Saleh "will address the Yemeni people via television in the coming hours," the ministry's 26sep.net website announced in a brief statement.
  
Late last month, Deputy Information Minister Abdo al-Janadi told AFP a team from Yemeni television had headed to Riyadh to interview Saleh and that it would be broadcast after June 30. "In this interview, Saleh will address the Yemeni people to reassure them about his health," Janadi said.
  
But a Yemeni diplomat in Riyadh told AFP on June 29 that Saleh's condition would not allow him to make a media appearance. "Saudi authorities, in compliance with doctors' orders, forbid any filming or visits to President Saleh, as this contradicts the atmosphere needed for his recovery," the diplomat had said.
  
Uncertainty has prevailed over Saleh's health, given that he has not been seen in public since the attack amid conflicting reports about his condition. Eleven people were killed and 124 others were wounded, among them senior officials, in the explosion as they prayed at the mosque in Saleh's presidential palace in Sanaa on June 3.

Meanwhile, an opposition leader said Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is at the helm while Saleh recovers in Riyadh, had approached the opposition with an alternative to the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) initiative. "The essence of these ideas is to begin the transitional period by forming one national government led by the opposition and changing the date of presidential elections from 60 days to a longer period, without transferring power completely to the vice president," said the opposition figure, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity after the meeting with Hadi. The new plan is a step backward for the opposition, which had hoped Saleh's time was up when he left the country to get medical treatment.

A second senior opposition member said they would not back down: "We are prepared to deal positively with the initiative on the condition that power is transferred to the vice president first." Hadi said this would be difficult.