Fears mount that Saleh plans to cling to power

Opposition says he may use security threats as excuse to stay on despite agreement

Opposition leaders and officials close to the Yemeni president fear he may try to use continuing violence in the unstable country to keep his seat,

SANAA // Suspicions are mounting that Ali Abdullah Saleh is trying to wriggle out of a Us-backed deal to end his rule in Yemen.

Both opposition leaders and officials close to the president said this week they remain unconvinced that Mr Saleh is serious about leaving power. They worry he will try to use the unstable country’s continued violence to keep his seat.

Following 10 months of street protests, Mr Saleh in November signed a deal put forward by Yemen’s Gulf neighbours and backed by the United States, agreeing to pass on power to his vice president in exchange for immunity from prosecution for crimes he allegedly committed while in office.

Six weeks later, he remains president, Yemeni state media still speak of him as leader of the nation and his allies frequently hinder the work of a new unity government sworn in by his vice president.

“The president is basically not convinced that he has to leave power, so he will resist with all his remaining force,” said a ruling party figure in Mr Saleh’s last government. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Adding further fuel to such concerns, Mr Saleh changed his tune this week on his plans to travel to the United States. Mediators have been saying for weeks that he would seek medical care in the US for continued treatment of wounds sustained in a June bomb blast at his palace. In late December, Mr Saleh said he would go to help calm the turmoil in Yemen. Then last week, he announced he would stay.

Mr Saleh’s request for a visa put US officials in a bind. Allowing him in would open them to criticism from protesters who want Mr Saleh to stand trial in Yemen for attacks that have killed hundreds of protesters. Refusing him entry, however, would be hard to explain since he remains a US ally. Washington says it is still considering whether to grant it. On Wednesday, a leader in Mr Saleh’s ruling General People’s Congress party said he had decided to remain in Yemen in response to concerns that his departure could be bad for the country and the ruling party. The opposition accused Mr Saleh of stalling, recalling how for months he repeatedly agreed then refused to sign the Gulf proposal.

“Saleh is repeating the scene from the past when he refused to sign the proposal,” opposition leader Mohammed Sabri said. “Today he is trying to get out of carrying out the proposal and transferring power.” The US has long considered Yemen a necessary if not entirely reliable ally in the fight against the country’s Al Qaeda branch and has provided Yemeni antiterrorism forces with money and training.

Yemeni officials said Mr Saleh is seeking to preserve his rule by using the same scare tactic he has used for decades: telling the US and Saudi Arabia that Al Qaeda will have a freer hand to operate if he goes.

Al Qaeda remains active in Yemen. Military officials said four soldiers and six militants were killed in clashes near Zinjibar on Thursday.

The militants took advantage of chaos early in the anti-saleh uprising to overrun Zinjibar and a number of other towns. Government troops have been fighting to dislodge them since.

Under the Gulf initiative, presidential elections are to be held on Februrary 21 and Mr Saleh is forbidden from running. The parties to the agreement, Saleh’s ruling party and an opposition coalition, also agreed not to nominate anyone other than Mr Saleh’s vice president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

Meanwhile, Mr Saleh’s allies in the government have continued to fight for his interests. His People’s Congress Party is part of the unity government alongside opposition parties, and his son and nephew command the best- trained and equipped security forces.

At a meeting of ruling party officials this week, party leaders accused the defence minister of cooperating with the opposition by not naming a Saleh associate to a high security post, party officials said. Mr Saleh’s backers disrupted another meeting by accusing the information minister of turning state media into an opposition mouthpiece and not reporting on the president’s activities.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the meetings were closed. The Yemen expert Gregory Johnsen of Princeton University said Mr Saleh may have lost some power, although his three decades of rule have allowed him to install strong allies throughout the government and security services.

Mr Saleh has repeatedly said he intends to continue to play a role in Yemeni politics – something this wide network of allies can facilitate.

“This is something he may be able to do even without an official position,” Mr Johnsen said.