Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qerbi said Wednesday his government is still clinging to the power- transfer initiative brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council to resolve its political impasse.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qerbi said Wednesday his government is still clinging to the power- transfer initiative brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to resolve its political impasse.

Al-Qerbi made the remarks when he met with ambassadors of member countries of the GCC in Sanaa, state news agency Saba reported.

The minister briefed the ambassadors on the results of his recent meeting with GCC chief Abdullatif al-Zayani in the United Arab Emirates, during which he renewed "the Yemeni government's firm stance of supporting the GCC initiative and the readiness of Yemeni Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to sign the initiative in accordance with the constitutional authorization given by President Saleh last month," according to Saba.

Al-Qerbi's action came simultaneously with reports that three permanent member countries of the United Nations Security Council have drafted a resolution on the Yemeni crisis.

Meanwhile, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Sanaa and other major provinces on Wednesday for the third straight day, calling on the UN to play a stronger role in resolving the Yemeni political crisis and forcing Saleh to step down, according to witnesses.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh "to ensure immediate political reform in his country."

Saleh, who confronted nine-month-long protest demanding an end to his 33-year-long rule, authorized his deputy Hadi on Sept. 12 to sign the initiative after holding dialogue with the opposition.

However, the opposition insisted that "signing the initiative must be done first before launching any dialogue" and called for the UN to take strong action to force Saleh's resignation and end the country's political standoff, opposition media reported.

The GCC deal, which was initiated in April and signed by the opposition in May, stipulated Saleh to step down in 30 days and hand over power to his deputy, who will then form an opposition- led national government and arrange presidential elections in 60 days. Saleh has backed out of signing the deal three times in the last minute.