Yemeni opposition shuns GCC deal

SANAA, Yemen, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- A deal that gives the Yemeni president immunity in exchange for his resignation isn't acceptable anymore, a member of the opposition said.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh remains in Saudi Arabia more than three months after he was gravely wounded in an attack on his presidential compound in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital.

He's faced international and domestic pressure to stand down for most of the year. He's repeatedly rejected a plan brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council that offers him immunity in exchange for his resignation.

Mohamed Basendwa, head of the newly formed National Yemeni Council for the Revolution, said the GCC proposal wasn't good enough.

He was quoted by the Yemen Post as saying it was "ridiculous" to offer Saleh immunity given the alleged crimes committed against the people.

Basendwa added the coming days were pivotal for revolutionary groups in Yemen. Saleh could get protection if he immediately resigns, the opposition leader claimed. Pressure on the Yemeni president is expected to increase shortly, he added.

The people "will bring down the regime through peaceful ways, not violence, no matter what weapons the regime use against us," he added.