Yemen's Saleh welcomes U.N. team

SANAA, Yemen, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh welcomed U.N. diplomats to Sanaa, days after the U.N. Security Council said he should resign.

Saleh has endured nearly a year's worth of pressure to resign after sitting for more than two decades in power. He was gravely injured following a June attack on his presidential compound but has refused to sign any deal for his resignation.

The Security Council, in a unanimous vote, passed a resolution calling on Saleh to follow an initiative offered by the Gulf Cooperation Council that calls for political transition.

U.N. Under Secretary-General B. Lynn Pascoe said all of the warring factions in Yemen have debated political transition for quite some time.

"Now is the time for government and opposition leaders to live up to their responsibilities and reach an agreement," he said in a statement.

Saleh welcomed a U.N. delegation Monday. A statement from the official Saba news agency said Saleh was ready to sit down "immediately" with opposition leaders to discuss the GCC initiatives and eventual early presidential elections.

Saleh expressed near identical sentiments when he spoke to The Washington Post in September.

The independent Yemen Post notes that while Saleh was welcoming U.N. delegates in Sanaa, his forces were attacking the southern city of Taiz "bringing more terror and destruction to its inhabitants."