Yemen's president fans violence

Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh has refused to resign, and the country is now on the brink of a civil war. More than 40 people were killed in skirmishes in the capital, Sanaa, on Thursday. The business paper Il Sole 24 Ore puts the failure of a diplomatic solution down to Saleh's unbending stance. "Diplomacy has failed in Yemen. Cornered as he now is, President Saleh is encouraging violence to remain in power. ... In recent weeks the Golf Cooperation Council has tried to defuse the crisis on the peninsula for fear of a domino effect. After initially appearing to approve a transition solution which foresaw the formation of a government of national unity and amnesty for Saleh and his relatives, the 68-year-old ruler did a U-turn and is now insisting on his leading role. This is a Putin-style solution which the opposition is not willing to accept."

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