Saleh calls for Yemen truce as rallies, violence mark his return

President Ali Abdullah Saleh called for a truce as he returned to Yemen today after more than three months abroad, amid fighting between government troops and opposition forces demanding his ouster.

Saleh believes a truce and a cease-fire are needed so that a solution to the crisis can be reached through dialogue, Tarik al-Shami, spokesman for the ruling General People's Congress, said today by phone. The president will address the nation on Sept. 25, al-Shami said.

“Tell the returning mass killer, we will prosecute him,” crowds chanted in al-Siteen Street in Sana'a. In the capital's al-Sabeen Square, another group gathered in a show of support for the president.

Unrest escalated this week after the Organization Committee of the Popular Youth Revolution urged Yemenis to intensify protests demanding an end to Saleh's three-decade rule. At least a dozen people were killed yesterday during demonstrations in Sana'a, bringing this week's death toll to almost 100.

Mass demonstrations began in the Arab world's poorest country in February, inspired by revolts that ousted the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt, and deepened with military and tribal leaders joining the opposition. Efforts by Gulf Arab countries to broker a power-transfer agreement have failed.

The protesters in Sana'a today were participating in the funeral of 40 people who died this week. Afterward, the bodies of 21 soldiers loyal to Saleh who were killed in recent violence in the capital were buried, state television said.

Protesters Killed

Sana'a was rocked by explosions and heavy artillery and gunfire overnight. At least two protesters were killed when shells slammed into the square outside Sana'a University, a center for demonstrations, according to Mohammed al-Sharabi, an activist camped out there. Shelling also targeted the home of opposition figure Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, leader of the Hashid, Yemen's most influential tribal confederation.

Saleh has “returned because he's the legitimate president,” said Abdu al-Janadi, deputy information minister, in an interview on Al Jazeera television today. “It will put an end to a lot of dispute that has been going on.”

Saleh, a U.S. ally against al-Qaeda's Yemen-based militants, left for neighboring Saudi Arabia in June to receive treatment for injuries sustained in an attack on his compound. The president will chair a meeting of the ruling General People's Congress today, Al Arabiya television said.

“His return does not mean anything to us and we are happy because it will take him to jail,” said Nadeem al-Madani, a protester in Sana'a.

In Taiz today, Saleh supporters celebrated his return with gunfire, and government forces fired shells at demonstrators, said Ahmed al-Wafi, a protest organizer. He said at least two people were injured.