Facing growing calls for his resignation, Yemen’s longtime president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, told tens of thousands of supporters Friday that he is ready to step down but only if he can leave the country in “safe hands.” His remarks recalled a similar statement by Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak days before he was ousted Feb. 11.
An even larger number of people converged on a square in front of Sana University chanting slogans calling for his ouster and waving red cards emblazoned with the word “leave,” despite fears of more violence a week after government security forces shot dead more than 40 demonstrators in the capital.
JORDAN: Clashes erupt in capital.
Protesters demanding reforms clashed with government supporters in the center of Jordan’s capital, Amman, pelting each other with stones until security forces charged in and beat protesters. More than 100 were injured. A government supporter died of a heart attack during the unrest.
BAHRAIN: Shiite cleric decries “brutal force.”
Security forces fired tear gas at anti- government demonstrators in Manama after a prominent Shiite cleric vowed that their demands for the Sunni monarchy to loosen its grip on power would not be silenced by “brutal force.” Activists said one person died.
UNITED STATES: Khadafy son toured U.S. ports, military sites, AFA.
A son of Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy toured U.S. ports and military facilities just weeks before he helped lead deadly attacks on rebels protesting his father’s authoritarian regime. Khamis Khadafy, 27, spent four weeks in the U.S. as part of an internship with AECOM, a global infrastructure company with business interests in Libya. A company official said the trip included a visit to the Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs.
SAUDI ARABIA: Shiites call for release of detainees.
Several hundred Shiite Muslims protested in eastern Saudi Arabia to demand the release of detainees and show support for fellow Shiites protesting against the Sunni monarchy in nearby Bahrain, a Saudi news agency said. The protesters called on the Saudi government to withdraw its troops from Bahrain, where they are leading a 1,500-strong gulf military force helping shore up the Sunni monarchy.
Denver Post wire services
