Saleh to return to Yemen on Wednesday: official

SANAA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- A ruling party official said Saturday that Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is in Saudi Arabia for rehabilitation after he was injured in a bomb attack on his palace in June, is due to come back to Sanaa on Aug. 24.

"President Saleh will return from the Saudi capital of Riyadh to Sanaa on Wednesday on the eve of the 30th anniversary of establishing the ruling party General People's Congress (GPC)," Abdul Hafid al-Nahari, the deputy of the GPC media department told Xinhua.

He also said his party was preparing for large-scale celebrations across the country to greet Saleh and celebrate the 30th anniversary of the party's establishment.

"After his return, the president will launch a dialogue with the opposition coalition Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) based on a power-transition deal initiated by the Gulf Cooperation Council ( GCC) to end the country's prolonged political crisis," he added.

Yemen has been embroiled in a political crisis since the eruption of protests against Saleh's 33-year rule in late January.

The opposition formed a National Council on Aug. 17 to prevent Saleh from returning or resuming his presidential duties. However, Saleh vowed to return and stay in office until 2013.