PGCC urges Yemen's Saleh to quit

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saudi Al-Faisal (C) speaks with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al-Thani (L) and his Bahraini counterpart Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on April 10, 2011.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/174184.html

The member states of the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC) have presented a united front in calling on embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down.

During a Sunday meeting in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, foreign ministers from the [P]GCC urged the long-ruling Yemeni president to hand over power to his deputy to pave the way for power transition in the Middle Eastern country, Reuters reported.

The appeal comes as Yemeni protesters continue to demand an end to the decades-long rule of Saleh, who has refused to step down despite the massive popular protests since mid-February.

The [P]GCC states -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- also called for the formation of a coalition government led by the opposition and the drafting of a new constitution in troubled Yemen.

"The formation of a national unity government under the leadership of the opposition which has the right to form committees ... to draw up a constitution and hold elections" is a way out of the current political crisis in Yemen, the Persian Gulf Arab states said.

On Friday, the Yemeni ruler declined an invitation by the six-nation [P]GCC to a mediation session in Saudi Arabia with the Yemeni opposition to end the months-long unrest in the Middle Eastern country.

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in different cities across Yemen on Sunday despite the government's recent brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters.

The Sunday rallies were held in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a, the western city of Hudaydah along with Taiz and Ibb, both in the southwest part of the country.

More than 40 protesters were wounded by live gunfire in clashes in Taiz between security forces and demonstrators Sunday, AFP reported. In Sana'a, security forces shot and wounded 30 people on Saturday, while 80 others suffered injuries from beatings with batons, medics said.

The protesters are calling for corruption and unemployment in the country to be tackled and demanding Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down.

Some 40 percent of the Yemeni population lives on $2 a day or less and one third of Yemenis face food shortages.

The protests have been met with crackdowns by riot police or supporters of President Saleh who are armed with knives and batons.

Posted byStewarta

Clinton rules out U.S. Syria involvement for now

Filed Under  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Sunday the United States would not now get involved in Syria in the same way as it has in Libya, telling CBS’s “Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer” program in an interview broadcast on Sunday that each case is unique.

Speaking on the same program in an interview that was also taped on Saturday, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the United States had seen signs that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s forces were retreating to the west because of U.S. air strikes on his armor, logistics and supply chain.

Lieberman disagrees
On the other hand US Sen. Joe Lieberman suggested Sunday he would support military intervention in Syria if its president resorts to the kind of violent tactics used by Libya’s Muammar al-Qaddafi.

Lieberman, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, told “Fox News Sunday” that if Assad starts slaughtering his own people, he will risk other countries imposing a no-fly zone “just as we’re doing in Libya.” He urged Assad to, instead, negotiate with the “freedom fighters” in his country.

There’s a precedent now that the world community has set in Libya, and it’s the right one,” Lieberman said.
Reuters, Fox

Egypt's Revolt Hits UK Businesses
With revolt on the streets some of Egypt's ports have been closed, hitting companies importing Egyptian products. But some analysts believe the downturn will prove temporary. Nadim Baba has more

Egypt in Crisis: Business Collapse Piles Pressure on Mubarak
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Factories are closed, cash machines running dry, and food and petrol shortages feared, but some say it is a price worth paying

The industrial city of Abu Rawash sits in the desert beyond the pyramids. You reach it down a dusty road that seems to lead to nowhere. Then the factories and warehouses begin: Toyota, Hyundai, Mazda and Jeep deserted save for a handful of security guards sitting in front of a vacant parking lot for absent staff.

Outside the gates of the Toyota warehouse Ayman Ibrahim is talking to the gatekeeper. The factories are closed, the man tells Ibrahim, who owns a window business on the same site. They won't reopen until at least mid-week. Perhaps even Friday. No one really knows.

The closures in places such as Abu Rawash have been accompanied by calls from unions for an indefinite general strike. "I'm losing £10,000 pounds a week," says Ibrahim. "But it's worth it, I've been to the protest in Tahrir Square for the past three days with my kids. Mubarak is costing me money, but he has been costing Egypt money for 30 years." >>> Peter Beaumont in Cairo | Monday, January 31, 2011