Yemeni tension situation resumes as reports say transition deal possible within 10-15 days

After weeks of relative calm in Yemen, press reports said Saturday that Yemeni soldiers opened fire near an anti-government protest camp in Yemen's capital overnight and wounded eight protesters.

Troops loyal to the president said they shot in the air to stop demonstrators from trying to expand the area of the protest, where thousands have camped out for nearly eight months to demand an end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33-year rule.

One of the eight people hurt by the gunfire was in critical condition, according to a doctor in the camp, known as Change Square.

Separately, AFP reported that six students were wounded in clashes on the first day of the academic year between rival groups at Sanaa University, near the epicenter of ongoing protests. Two groups, divided between students who backed a resumption of classes and those who did not, came to blows, with stones and other projectiles also being used in the clashes, according to those involved and the medical official.

Meanwhile, a deal to ease Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh from power could be ready for signing with opposition parties within 15 days, a senior ruling party official said on Saturday.

Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) and the opposition coalition, the Joint Meetings Parties (JMP), have been wrangling for months over a Gulf-brokered transition plan, even as Yemeni protesters demand the president steps down immediately.

Despite widespread skepticism that any deal is within reach, Sultan al-Barakani, deputy head of the GPC and part of Saleh's close circle, told Reuters the two sides would soon conclude talks on preparing for a new government and signing the deal. "All of these steps, I'm optimistic will be completed in the next 10 to 15 days," he said in an interview. "What we need more time for is finding a new (presidential) election date."

Barakani said negotiations over how to run the election could delay the poll until January or February. "The conditions in the country for elections are not there yet," he said. "We're used to these things taking six months."

Yet, at least one sticking point remains. The opposition wants Saleh to transfer all his powers to the vice president before the poll to prevent him from using them to sway the vote. The ruling party says Saleh should quit only after the election. "The president leaving through a political agreement? I reject it today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow," Barakani said at his office in Sanaa, surrounded by presidential guards. "We have a political system built on a constitution. We need to respect it," Barakani said. "The presidency is selected based on an electoral system. Why should we destroy this government just to satisfy a few dozen people?"