Yemen's ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh has set conditions to leave his country including that the United Arab Emirates give a written acceptance to host him for two years along with tens of his family members, Akhbar al-Youm newspaper reported, quoting a statement by a Gulf diplomat,
The daily also quoted the diplomat as saying the condition of Saleh came after the US and Saudi Arabia had convinced the UAE to host him during the two-year transitional period.
"The UAE has initially agreed to do within the efforts to ease the implementation of a power transfer deal in Yemen, which was brokered by the GCC countries and backed by the West topped by the US in November after months of turmoil," the diplomat said.
On Monday, a Saudi paper quoted a Gulf diplomat as saying the countries, sponsoring a the power transfer that saw Saleh relinquish power after 33 years in office, had threatened to sanction him and his loyalists, including military and security commanders if they hinder the implementation of the deal and the UN resolution 2014.
Saleh has been seen as trying to come back to politics and local observers said his stay in the country is affecting the political reconciliation, especially because some senior army and security commanders are still his relatives or those who are very loyal to him.