Vice President authorized to talk with opposition on electing new president for Yemen

By Nasser Arrabyee

The Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh authorized Monday his deputy for talking with opposition until a new president is democratically elected.

Respected and accepted by all, the Vice President, Abdu Rabu Mansor Hadi, is supposed to start talks with the opposition to prepare for electing the new president.

All conflicting parties should find a mechanism for implementing a power-transfer deal proposed by Saudi Arabia and all gulf countries earlier this year and still supported by the whole international community.

The decree of authorization came after Mr. Hadi held a series of meetings this week with the ambassadors of US, EU, Russia, and China who all support the Gulf (GCC) deal which was modified by UN envoy Jamal Bin Omar who wanted to end the crisis by electing a new president for Yemen by the end of this year.

Mr. Hadi is supposed now to sign the GCC, which was already signed by the ruling party and opposition, for President Saleh according to the authorization decree.

However, the opposition refuse to start any talk except after President signs the GCC deal, which means step-down.

“ We authorize Vice President with the constitutional power required for conducting talks with the parties that signed the GCC deal,” the decree said.

“And to reach an agreement on a timed mechanism for implementing this deal.”

“And sign the GCC deal on our behalf, and start to follow up the implementation under regional and international sponsorship.”

“That (implementation) should lead to early presidential elections with its timing agreed upon by all”

“This elections should guarantee peaceful and democratic transition of power,” the decree said.

The decree was issued according to the article 124 of the Yemeni constitution which gives the President the right to authorize some of his powers to his deputy when the supreme national interest needs that.

The opposition considered the decree of authorization just as a way of wasting time and misleading people.

It seems, however, that the opposition can not explicitly refuse the Saudi-led GCC deal nor can they convince the international community to support them and ignore President Saleh who is still the legitimate President in their eyes (world) and in eyes of millions of his supporters.