Saleh announces new initiative includes new constitution, Gov't

SANA'A, March 10 (Saba) - President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced in the First National Conference held in Sana'a on Thursday a new initiative to lift Yemen out of the current political crisis.

President Saleh initiative includes forming a committee from Parliament and Shura Councils political powers, social society figures and youths to prepare a new constitution based on separation of powers to be brought to vote by the end of 2011.

The initiative includes transferring government power to an elected parliamentary system by the end 2011, shifting the local authority to full-power local ruling, establish Yemeni regions on the grounds of economic and geographical criteria and prepare a new election law includes proportional representation in addition to forming a new government of national unity.

The president called on the parliament to convene to prepare and approve the election law, ordering the government to meet with the demands of all the youth demonstrators.

He renewed his directives to security apparatuses to provide security protection for all pro and anti-government demonstrators.

"Out of responsibility as a president, I have exerted and still exerting all efforts for the sake of the peaceful transfer of power in order to protect its security and achievements within our continuous concern to avoid conflict and to preserve the highest national unity," the president said.

He made clear that he gave directives to the government to listen to demands of the youth who are holding sit-ins in different governorates as they are the future generation, affirming that the government will work to meet those demands without sit-ins and chaos.

AF/AF – AM/AM