Yemen news reports that President Saleh has returned

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

President Ali Abdullah Saleh returned to Yemen on Friday, state television reported, after spending three months in Saudi Arabia recovering from a June assassination attempt.

Saleh's return comes amid a surge of violence in the capital Sana'a, where there have been clashes between loyalist troops and forces backing a mass protest movement calling for his overthrow.

Within minutes of the announcement loud bursts of gunfire and explosions were heard echoing through the capital.

"Ali Abdullah Saleh, president of the republic, returned this morning to the land of the nation safely after a trip for treatment in Riyadh that lasted more than three months," an urgent news break on Yemen Television said.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/23/saleh-returns-yemen-television-report

[No Elephants]

1. I am still watching the so-called Arab Spring to see how much

ultimately changes, for the better or at all, and stays changed before I start cheering or booing.

[bemildred]

2. Yemen's president returns, calls for cease-fire

Sana, Yemen—
President Ali Abdullah Saleh made a surprise return to Yemen on Friday after more than three months of medical treatment in Saudi Arabia in a move certain to further inflame battles between forces loyal to him and his opponents that have turned the capital into a war zone.

Saleh immediately called for a cease-fire and said negotiations were the only way out of the crisis, his office said. The statement, however, suggested he does not intend to step down immediately and was likely to only anger protesters, who have been demanding his ouster for months, and the military units and armed tribal fighters that back the opposition.

"His return means more divisions, more escalation and confrontations," said Abdel-Hadi Azazi, a protest leader. "We are on a very critical escalation."

Saleh's return to Yemen could further damage already crumbling efforts by the United States and Saudi Arabia to work out a peaceful handover of power. Washington is eager for some sort of post-Saleh stability in the strategically placed but deeply divided and impoverished nation in hopes of continuing an alliance against Al Qaeda militants in Yemen -- the terror network's most active branch, blamed in several plots for attacks on U.S soil.

http://www.latimes.com/news/la-fgw-yemen-president-20110924,0,4954253.story