Yemeni opposition signs deal on transfer of power

By AHMED AL-HAJ

The Associated Press

SANAA, Yemen — A Foreign Ministry official says Yemen's opposition has signed a deal aimed at ending the country's political crisis by granting the president immunity from prosecution if he agrees to leave office.

The official says five members of the opposition have signed the agreement in the presence of U.S. and European Union ambassadors. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the press.

The opposition refused to comment before making an official announcement on Sunday, when President Ali Abdullah Saleh is supposed to add his signature to the deal.

The proposal by Gulf Arab mediators, first put forward in March, would give Saleh 30 days to step down. A national unity government led by the opposition would be formed within a week.