Yemen Protests Rage Despite Saleh Deal

Thousands of anti-government protesters held their ground today in the Yemeni capital's Change Square despite President Ali Abdullah Saleh's acceptance yesterday of an Arab proposal to leave office after 32 years in power. A coalition of seven opposition political parties also agreed to the proposal with several reservations, but Saleh's opponents come from a diverse range of groups and many who were not part of the talks quickly rejected the proposal and said they doubted Saleh's intentions.

Thousands of protesters held onto their camp in Change Square in Sanaa, where they are ringed by military units that defected to join and protect them. "The proposals are not acceptable at all and the opposition parties don't represent us," says Khaled al-Ansi, a leader of the youth movement that is one of the main organizers of the street protests. Al-Ansi said Saleh was "behind everything that is happening and he should be tried together with his sons" for the heavy crackdown on protesters.