As
Saleh
Says He'll
Step Back in
Yemen, Ban
Says Immunity
"Not Discussed
in Detail"
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 23,
updated --
Hours after
Yemen
strongman Ali
Saleh
announced a
deal to step
back from
power in
exchange for
immunity,
at the UN in
New York
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon
summoned wire
reporters to
the stakeout
in front of
the Security
Council.
Ban
told the press
that he had
spoken with
Saleh, who
told him he
will go to
Saudi
Arabia today
to sign the
deal, then
come to New
York for
medical
treatment.
"I'll be happy
to meet him,"
Ban said. He
added that
Saleh "he will
still remain
as president"
but step back.
Inner
City Press
asked Ban if
he had
discussed with
Saleh the
issue of
immunity,
which
was explicitly
granted in the
Gulf
Cooperation
Council deal
that
Saleh has
repeatedly
indicated he
would agree
to.
No,
Ban said, "I
have not
discussed in
detail on that
matter." Some
wonder: how
could Ban not
raise
the issue?
From
the UN's
transcript:
Inner
City
Press: What
about the
immunity
provisions of
the GCC deal?
Was
this discussed
at all?
SG:
I have not
discussed in
detail on that
matter, but
there has been
agreement
among GCC
members which
was endorsed
and supported
by the
UN Security
Council
resolution. I
hope that all
this should be
the
basis of
furthering the
process in
Yemen.
(c) UN Photo
Ban &
Saleh
previously,
Thanksgiving
for immunity
not yet shown
Last
Friday when
Saudi Arabia
Permanent
Representative
spoke to the
media outside
the
General
Assembly,
Inner City
Press asked
him about the
immunity
provisions of
the GCC deal
Saudi Arabia
was central
to. He said
that
the deal
belongs to the
Yemeni people.
Close
observers say
that the
US State
Department was
even more
centrally
involved in
the GCC deal.
So what will
the US say?
In
front of the
Security
Council
Wednesday
morning, Inner
City Press
asked this
month's
Council
president
Cabral about
any meetings
about Yemen.
He
said he had
spoken with
Ban's envoy in
Yemen over the
weekend, and
agreed that
the Council
will meet this
coming Monday,
November 28,
after the US
Thanksgiving
holiday. Ali
Saleh has a
lot to be
thankful
for. Watch
this site.
Update
of 10:50 am --
UK Permanent
Representative
Mark Lyall
Grant told
Inner City
Press that the
Council will
be briefed
about Yemen on
Monday,
whether or not
Saleh goes and
signs the
deal. He
asked, has
that happened?
Update
of 11:48 am --
Saleh signed,
on television.
But another P5
Security
Council
member's
Permanent
Representative
mused, "some
say he has to
leave in 30
days, some say
in 90 days, I
don't know."
, 
