Tribesmen celebrate in Yemen's second-largest city Taez (Taiz), a flashpoint of anti-regime demonstrations south of the capital Sanaa, on June 5, 2011, as hundreds of people took to the streets to celebrate the departure of long term President Ali Abdullah Saleh, wounded in a blast June 3, and who left for treatment in Saudi Arabia. UPI\Mohammad Abdullah |
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SANAA, Yemen, June 8 (UPI) -- No dialogue can take place regarding the political future of Yemen until the country's president returns from medical treatment in Saudi Arabia, a source said.
Embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh is in Saudi Arabia receiving treatment for burns and shrapnel wounds he suffered during an attack last week. Saleh is clinging to power despite pressure from the international community to sign a deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council for his resignation.
Saleh's government rejected calls from the opposition Joint Meeting Parties for talks about transition. The government said negotiations can't take place while Saleh is out of the country, al-Jazeera reports.
Washington is watching political developments in Yemen closely as the country is seen as a key ally against al-Qaida. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen's al-Qaida offshoot, was behind several attempted attacks on U.S. targets in recent years.
Washington has said a political solution to Yemen's problems can't develop while Saleh clings to power.
Shari Villarosa, deputy coordinator for regional affairs at the State Department, testified before a House subcommittee on homeland security that governance was one of the "root causes of instability" in the country.
"Central to this is building the capacity of Yemen's government to be responsive to the Yemeni people, delivering the security and services they require," she said.
