Gulf ministers discuss Saleh's future with Yemeni delegation

Gulf ministers meet with the Yemeni opposition in Riyadh Foreign ministers of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries on Tuesday met a Yemeni delegation led by Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al Qirbi to broker a transition of power in Yemen

The Abu Dhabi meeting is the fourth time the GCC ministers are meeting in two weeks. The GCC has offered to mediate between the Yemeni government and opposition after western-brokered talks stalled. The meeting comes two days after a delegation of Yemeni opposition leaders, who had initially rejected Gulf-led talks because they did not set a timeframe for President Ali Abdullah Saleh's departure, met Gulf ministers in Riyadh to lay out their objections. "We have great hopes that the Abu Dhabi meeting will extract a clear commitment for Saleh to leave. We are not currently planning to march on the palace but we will escalate protests with a comprehensive civil strike," Mesha'al Mujahid, a protest organiser, was quoted as saying in Sanaa.

In a dramatic twist of events, some members of Saleh's ruling party formed a new group on Monday to back protests against his rule. The members include the former tourism, human rights and transport ministers. Saleh, who has accepted Gulf mediation, has warned of civil war if he is forced to step down. The UN Security Council was also due to meet later yesterday to discuss the situation in Yemen.

Meanwhile, at least one person was reported killed in clashes that erupted yesterday between anti-government demonstrators and security forces in the city of Taiz. More than 125 people, including 26 children, are estimated to have been killed since the Yemen protests began in mid-February,. The UN Children's Fund said on Tuesday that at least 26 children have been killed during the unrest. "Yemen has had the highest number of children being killed or injured due to political unrest in the region," said Marixie Mercado, UNICEF spokeswoman.