London giving up on Yemen?

LONDON, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Yemen's vote in solidarity with Syria at the Arab League shows the true intentions of the government in Sanaa, the British government says.

The Arab League during the weekend voted to expel Syria unless it enacted verifiable reforms. Damascus had said it backed an Arab League plan to pull its forces from the streets of Syria, though violence has continued unabated. Yemen, Syria and Lebanon voted against the Arab League proposal during the weekend.

"The U.K. notes with concern the Yemeni vote in the Arab League on the Syria resolution on Saturday, which can only add to the doubts about the government of Yemen's attitude to the use of excessive force against peaceful protesters and its commitment to protecting its own people," British Middle East and North African Minister Alistair Burt in a statement.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who survived an assassination attempt in June, has promised repeatedly to sign a deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council to step down. His security forces, however, are blamed for firing on unarmed opposition groups protesting his administration.

Burt said the situation in Yemen is cause for mounting concern. Washington added that it was obvious Saleh has no intentions to resign.

Saleh told France 24 this week he would step down within 90 days of signing the GCC agreement