Yemen's Vice President Says Saleh Coming Back 'In Days'

VOA News June 06, 2011

Yemen's vice president says President Ali Abdullah Saleh will be returning to Yemen "in days" after undergoing surgery in Saudi Arabia for a shrapnel wound.

Yemen's state media quote Vice President Abd al-Rab Mansur Hadi Monday as saying the president is recovering well. The vice president is serving as the country's acting leader in Saleh's absence.

The president was wounded in a rocket attack Friday on his presidential compound. Ruling party officials insist Saleh will return to Yemen, but analysts say it is not clear whether his Saudi hosts will allow him to go back home as president.

Violence returns to capital

Meanwhile, opposition tribesmen in Yemen say government snipers in the capital, Sana'a, have killed at least three supporters of tribal leader Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar.

The shootings Monday came a day after the vice president ordered government forces to vacate opposition-controlled areas of the capital, while al-Ahmar began to evacuate his militia from government buildings and called for an end to the fighting.

Scores of people have been killed in two weeks of clashes in Sana'a.

Meeting with US Ambassador

Hadi met with U.S. Ambassador Gerald Feierstein Sunday to discuss cooperation with Yemen's opposition coalition. He also met separately with military commanders, including several of Saleh's sons.

The Washington Post reported that U.S. and European diplomats, including Feierstein, urged Yemen's opposition to refrain from setting up interim government committees before Saleh is formally out of power. The newspaper cited a U.S. embassy spokeswoman as saying Washington is continuing attempts to push its onetime ally out of power.

Cheers over Saleh's departure

Joyful celebrations broke out in Yemen Sunday, after word spread that the embattled Saleh had left the country. But expressions of concern also emerged about whether Saleh's 33 years in power have really come to an end.

Nearly 400 people have been killed since the popular uprising against Saleh began in January.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.