Yemen’s Saleh vows to hold on to ‘legitimacy’

SANAA—Yemen’s embattled leader Ali Abdullah Saleh vowed on Friday to hold on to his “constitutional legitimacy” as president but also to cooperate with a Gulf plan for him to stand down.

“We stress that we will hold on to the constitutional legitimacy, in loyalty to our people, as we categorically reject the attempted coups on freedom, democracy, and political pluralism,” he told a large crowd of supporters.

“We welcome the initiative of the ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and we will deal with it positively, within the framework of the constitution,” he said.

Saleh was referring to the latest version of a GCC proposed plan to end Yemen’s political crisis after nearly three months of anti-Saleh protests.