Yemen moves toward unity government

SANAA, Yemen, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- The Yemeni president is expected to announce a national unity government this week, sources in the government said Monday.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said in early February that he wouldn't seek another term in 2013, allaying some concerns about heredity rule in the country. Thousands of pro- and anti-government demonstrators continued their protests, however.

Government sources Monday told al-Jazeera that Saleh was preparing to unveil a new unity government.

Thousands of people continued protests in the north and south of the country and it appears opposition leaders are unlikely to respond to Saleh's latest move, al-Jazeera adds.

Saleh was quoted by the official Saba news agency as saying most Yemenis were opposed to political violence.

"The Yemeni people are for security, stability and development and against chaos, violence and vandalism," he said.

Yemeni experts at the Brookings Doha Center told the Arab news agency that Saleh's moves might be a little too late.

"It really seems that the protesters have the momentum," the center's Shadi Hamid said. "This is the problem; when regimes wait, and they don't really initiate real democratic reform, the demands of the protesters become more and more."