TV appearance

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh made his first appearance on television on Thursday since being injured in a bomb attack on his palace in the capital, Sanaa last month.

Speaking in a pre-recorded statement broadcast on Yemeni state television, President Saleh called for dialogue as a way of resolving the political differences between him and the opposition.

"Where are the men who fear God? Why don't they stand with dialogue and with reaching satisfactory solutions" for all Yemenis, the president asked.

Power-sharing offer

Saleh has repeatedly refused to step down despite being the target of anti-government protests that began in January. But in Thursday's speech, the 69-year-old president held out the possibility of sharing power with his political opponents.

"We welcome participation within the constitution and law and based on democracy," he said. "We are with the participation of all political forces, whether from the opposition or from the regime, but in the light of a plan that would be agreed upon by all Yemenis."

While he again appeared to rule out stepping down after more than three decades in office, he also did not specifically say whether he intended to serve out his current term, which is due to expire in 2013.

The Yemeni people will stand defiant against all challenges that target their security, stability, freedom and democracy," Saleh said. "We will face challenge with challenge."

The aftereffects of the June 3 attack were clearly visible, as the president, who suffered severe burns in the attack, sat stiffly throughout the address. Gone was his thick moustache and his arms appeared to be heavily bandaged.

He said he had undergone "more than eight successful operations" in the Riyadh hospital where he has been treated since the attack. He also thanked Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah and other officials in the country, who he said had "offered us full attention and care."

The president also used the brief statement to extend his "greetings and appreciation for the Yemeni people inside Yemen and outside Yemen on their stance in facing the challenge."

Opponents unimpressed

Following the speech, a fireworks display was held and celebratory gunfire broke out in Sanaa, but the president's opponents appeared unimpressed.

"The speech was normal, it did not offer anything new. It's the same speech we're used to from Saleh," an unnamed opposition activist told the Reuters news agency.

Opposition official Sultan al-Atwani told Reuters that the speech "wasn't anything new and the participation of which he spoke will not come until a national dialogue after a transfer of power."

Since the protests against Saleh's rule began, the country has been at a political impasse and is teetering on the brink of a civil war.

Author: Chuck Penfold (Reuters, dpa, AFP)
Editor: Andrew Bowen