SANA'A // The secretary general of the GCC yesterday presented a plan to Yemen's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, calling for him to leave office within 30 days to put an end the country's crippling protests.
Dr Abdul Lateef bin Rashid al Zayani was in Sana'a to meet the president and opposition leaders in the GCC's latest effort to contain the months-long crisis that has resulted in the deaths of at least 130 people.
The new GCC proposal calls for a three-month transition that would end with a presidential election, a Yemeni official said yesterday.
Mr Saleh's spokesman, Ahmed al Sufi, said the president was dealing "positively" with the new proposal.
Opposition leaders released a statement yesterday rejecting the plan, saying they wanted the long-time president to leave immediately and unconditionally.
The GCC plan would see Mr Saleh step down within a month and hand over powers to his vice president, the official said on condition of anonymity. A new unity government would be formed and headed by an opposition figure appointed by Mr Saleh, the source added.
According to the plan, 50 per cent of the government would be comprised of members of the current ruling party. Forty per cent would come from the opposition coalition, and 10 per cent from unaffiliated political groups. The unity government would be tasked with organising presidential elections within two months of Mr Saleh's resignation.
Dr al Zayani's visit came after a week of meetings between the GCC and delegates from Yemen's opposition and the government over a previous initiative, which both camps claim to have understood differently. The first GCC initiative, presented earlier this month, proposed that presidential powers be transferred to the vice president until an election. This plan was also rejected by the opposition for being too lenient on Mr Saleh.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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The specs
Joker: Folie a Deux
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Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
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Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier, in Bangkok
UAE fixtures Mon Nov 20, v China; Tue Nov 21, v Thailand; Thu Nov 23, v Nepal; Fri Nov 24, v Hong Kong; Sun Nov 26, v Malaysia; Mon Nov 27, Final
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Tree of Hell
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
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In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.