Yemen: Saleh heading to Washington for treatment and "seek a pardon from his people"

President Ali Abdullah Saleh, heading to the United States for treatment, and asked pardon of Yemenis for any "failure" during his presidency that Tjaot three decades.The Yemeni president left later on a private jet to Amman.The State Department announced that the U.S. agreed to grant the Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a U.S. visa.She said in a statement it expects to remain valid "for a limited period of treatment in the United States.She added: "As we have noted, the only purpose for traveling is medical treatment and we expect to remain for a limited period commensurate with the duration of treatment."Saleh said in an interview with representatives of a number of channels that the Yemeni judiciary will go to the United States for treatment, and that he will return to Sana'a to continue his General People's Congress.However, it did not specify the time of travel to the United States, which has yet to grant him a visa.And, according to Yemen news agency Saba, the Saleh said he would focus Abd Rabo Mansour Hadi, head of the state after February 21 in the House next presidency.He added that after the inauguration will take his bag and then go to say goodbye to his home.He pointed out that "This is the protocol in force."Saleh added that the responsibility now assigned to the Mansour Hadi. Saleh had issued a decree to upgrade to the rank of Field Marshal Hadi.With regard to the law of immunity, which raises the mass protests in Yemen, Saleh said that the beneficiary of the law of immunity is not the president and his relatives, but all of the work with the president over the past 33 years.He says: "I ask pardon of all my compatriots, men and women for any failure occurred during my tenure of the 33 year, and ask forgiveness and offer apologies for all Yemenis and Yemeni citizens, and we now have to take care of our wounded and Bashhdaúna."Yemen is witnessing demonstrations and protest against the parliament on Saturday approved a law granting immunity to the President and his top aides from prosecution.


Source: BBC Arabic