Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. - File Photo

WASHINGTON: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Tuesday told the US ambassador in Sanaa that he is committed to a plan to step down amid political violence, the State Department said.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland welcomed Saleh's remarks but said that he needed to live up to his promises, after a string of statements by the veteran leader voicing support for the plan without implementing it.

Saleh met with US Ambassador Gerald Feierstein to discuss developments in Yemen after the UN Security Council and the United States both urged him to begin the transfer of power immediately, Nuland said.

“It is a positive step that he called the ambassador in and recommitted to him -- to us, to the international community -- that he intends to sign it,” Nuland told reporters.

“So now we look for him to make good on that commitment,” she said.

Opinion

Editorial

Climate choices
Updated 15 Jun, 2026

Climate choices

The country is confronting increasingly volatile weather patterns with consequences for agriculture, infrastructure, public health and economic planning.
Brief opening
15 Jun, 2026

Brief opening

WE have been here before. Throughout the weekend, there was great anticipation that a tentative framework for peace...
Environmental disaster
15 Jun, 2026

Environmental disaster

IT was a heartbreaking sight. A recent news report in these pages carried a picture of a sea turtle lying half ...
Budget presser
Updated 14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

If the FBR falters, the government will find itself in hot water sooner rather than later.
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...