Violence continues in Yemen on verge of deal

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has moved a step closer to handing power to his deputy by accepting a U.N. formula to ease a transition and end an uprising against his rule, the EU envoy to Yemen was quoted by the state news agency SABA as saying while heavy fighting between Saleh’s supporters and opponents killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 40 others in Yemen’s capital and its second city.

Armed clashes broke out early yesterday in the flashpoint city of Taez between government forces and tribesmen who support a mass protest movement calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s resignation, said activists. At least nine people were killed, including two gunmen, six civilians and a 13-year-old boy, and 40 others were wounded in the ensuing violence, medical officials said. Residents and gunmen said pro-Saleh troops were targeting Taez neighborhoods with heavy weapons, including mortar and tank shells, damaging some high-rise buildings.

Meanwhile, reports said that Saleh has moved closer to accepting the U.N. formula. “We are convinced that we are on the verge of reaching an agreement soon and above all else the matter calls for political commitment. We hope that Eid al-Adha will be an occasion to announce to Yemen and the world that Yemen has passed towards a new stage,” Michele Cervone d’Urso told SABA.

Compiled from Reuters and AFP stories by the Daily News staff.