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Protesters Call for White House to End Silence on Yemen Unrest

17 May 2011 02:35 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the White House to call for the Obama administration to take a more active role in the political unrest in Yemen, APA reports quoting â€œThe Voice of Americaâ€.

Demonstrators carried signs Monday denouncing the regime of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and calling for a stop to what they called the â€œmassacreâ€ in Yemen. Many protesters covered their mouths with black tape to symbolize their desire for the U.S. government to end its silence on the Yemeni government crackdown on protesters.

The demonstration came a day after Yemen’s main opposition coalition said a Gulf Arab plan to end the country’s political crisis was â€œdeadâ€ after Mr. Saleh refused to sign it in his capacity as president.

The most recent draft of the proposal negotiated by the Gulf Cooperation Council allows Mr. Saleh to sign off on the plan solely in his capacity as the head of Yemen’s ruling General People’s Congress party, rather than as president.

Protest groups and opposition parties rejected the latest plan, saying they will â€œnot work with any initiative that would extend the life of the regime.â€

Demonstrations continued in Yemen Sunday, with thousands marching in the country’s major cities.

In the southern city of Taiz, protesters peacefully seized government buildings, forcing them to close. Their actions did not lead to violence. Thousands of demonstrators also returned to the streets of Sana’a.