Saleh: Al-Qaeda to take over Yemen
Embattled Yemeni president warns Global Jihad to take over should he step down
Notably, in recent years Yemen has become the world's second most important Global Jihad hotbed.
In a televised speech Saturday, Ali Abdullah Saleh lashed out at so-called "world superpowers" as well as Yemen's Arab Gulf neighbors, accusing them of funneling cash to youth protesters to hold sit-ins and challenge his rule.
However, Saleh again signaled that he would sign the deal, saying "we accept the initiative to stop bloodshed." An earlier official statement said he would sign Sunday.
A Yemeni opposition spokesman, Mohammed al-Sabri, says the opposition will sign later Saturday. The deal gives Saleh immunity from prosecution if he steps down within 30 days.
The Yemen based al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula (AQAP) is a relatively new organization: It was established in January 2009 by merging the Saudi branch of al-Qaeda and al-Qaeda groups in Yemen.
Al-Qaeda in Yemen is currently the "rising star" on the global terror front. The organization exploits the tribal and political divide in the country and the fact that the regime is forced to engage in two domestic wars simultaneously; terrorists also take advantage of the ease to enter Yemen and the rather developed industrial and scientific infrastructure it offers.
Ron Ben-Yishai contributed to the report
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