YEMENI MILITARY helicopters rescued a group of western diplomats from the rooftop of the United Arab Emirates embassy in Sanaa yesterday after armed loyalists of beleaguered president Ali Abdullah Saleh surrounded the compound.
The angry mob of at least 200 plain-clothes pro-Saleh men, armed with AK47s and wielding traditional Yemeni jambiyas (daggers) blocked the only road leading to the UAE compound, furious at attempts to persuade Mr Saleh to sign a power transfer deal already inked by the political opposition on Saturday.
“We reject the coup attempt by the GCC ,” chanted Mr Saleh’s supporters, echoing the words of the president from a speech made on Saturday during a military parade to celebrate Yemen’s national day.
US ambassador Gerald Feierstein and his UK counterpart, Jonathan Wilks, were among those held captive for two hours. Other diplomats prevented from leaving the embassy included ambassadors of the EU, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The US embassy said their official left the embassy by car and was not one of those rescued from the rooftop.
Mr Saleh was expected to add his signature to a Gulf-brokered deal yesterday afternoon but has twice previously sidestepped signing the initiative that would see him leave office in 30 days in exchange for immunity from prosecution, for him, family and aides.
But the president appeared to back away again, as he called on the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) opposition coalition to re-sign in a ceremony at the palace.
“President Saleh invited the JMP to sign the proposal at the presidential palace at 3pm today,” said Tareq Shami, a spokesman for Yemen’s ruling General People’s Congress party. “We hope the JMP accepts President Saleh’s invitation.” While the declared deadline slipped, the capital descended into traffic chaos yesterday. Loyalists blocked major roads across the city in protest at the deal and Mr Saleh’s removal from power. The president’s supporters, carrying sticks and placards, brought Sanaa to a standstill as they raged against his impending departure.
The Gulf Co-operation Council’s envoy, Abdullatif al-Zayani, was also stranded in the UAE embassy as a Gulf official told the Associated Press the six-nation Gulf council would abandon the US and EU-backed deal and withdraw from mediation if Mr Saleh failed to sign by the end of the day.
In an unexpected twist, Yemen’s state television showed footage, late yesterday, of a Gulf council representative signing the deal in the presence of Mr Saleh and US ambassador Mr Feierstein. The president was shown again calling on the JMP to attend a ceremony at his presidential palace for a formal signing of the deal.