RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said Monday he authorized his deputy to meet with the political opposition regarding a possible transition of power.
Saleh issued a decree Monday starting that Yemeni Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has the authority to conduct a dialogue that would lead to "an early presidential election and ensure a legal and democratic transition of power," the state-run Saba news agency said, quoting the document.
A Gulf Cooperation Council proposal called on Saleh to stand down in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
A revised agreement backed by the ruling General People's Congress would give Saleh three months to resign after handing power to the vice president. Yemen after Saleh's resignation would prepare for national elections and ultimately a new constitution, the Yemen Post reported last week.
Saleh remains in Saudi Arabia where was taken to recover from injuries suffered in a June 3 attack on his presidential compound. He was hospitalized about three months because of the attack.
Saleh faced months of international pressure to stand down. Victoria Nuland, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, expressed growing frustration with Saleh's apparent stubbornness, saying in August that "he has the ability to use a pen" no matter where he was.
