The state-run Saudi Press Agency said Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi met with Saudi King Abdullah and other officials, including the kingdom’s intelligence chief, in Riyadh. It was Hadi’s first official foreign trip since he was elected Yemen’s president in a symbolic, one-man race in February as part of a Gulf-backed deal to end months of political turmoil in the country.
Hadi’s visit to Saudi Arabia and a White House statement on Sunday expressing concern over alleged disruptive behaviour by some former regime loyalists reflect growing concerns that Saleh may be trying to orchestrate a return to power by portraying the new government as incapable of dealing with the country’s myriad problems.
On Monday, opposition parties and activist groups issued a statement demanding that Saleh leave Yemen. The statement said Saleh is using his presence in Yemen and role as head of the ruling party to launch a counterrevolution. The groups urged a quick reform of the military and other security posts, something which the Gulf-brokered agreement also called for.
Sultan Al Barkani, a top official in the ruling party, said protesters camped out in main squares and dissident armed tribes must end their protests, which have been going on for more than a year, before a transition to democracy takes place.
Cover up
"We will not restructure the army or hold a national dialogue before the first phase of the initiative is implemented and there is security and stability," he said. Saleh’s office released a statement calling the opposition’s demands for him to leave or resign as head of his National People’s Congress party "wishful thinking". The statement dismissed reports of meddling as "lies" and "attempts to cover up the blatant failures of the government".
Ministerial posts in the new unity government are divided equally among Saleh-appointed ministers and opposition figures.
The White House statement said that President Barack Obama’s top counter-terrorism adviser, John Brennan, called Hadi to discuss the ongoing political transition in Yemen and expressed concerns that the power transfer agreement is not being fully implemented by former regime officials.
