Endgame for Saleh?

One-man Yemen media empire Oliver Holmes is reporting in both Time and the Wall Street Journal that Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is in talks with his country’s opposition on a set of demands that would have him stepping down within this year. The Time report had initially suggested that Saleh has agreed to a proposal that he step down within nine months, but it’s now not clear if that was the same proposal he had agreed to. Saleh, in power since 1978, had previously agreed to step down when his current term ends in 2013, but that concession did little to prevent the protests against his regime from worsening.  

Here’s Holmes’ description of the current state of play from the WSJ:

A government official said Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh found "common ground" late Wednesday with members of Yemen’s opposition, who earlier in the day had presented a list of demands that called for the president’s departure.

"The plan proposed to the ruling party was favorably received," the official said following the meeting. "It is working on a formal response."

The official said he couldn’t comment on whether the plan involves a departure date for the president. Opposition members familiar with the meeting couldn’t immediately be reached.

Saleh also apparently apologized for any "misunderstandings" that may have been caused by his recent remarks suggesting that the U.S. and Israel are behind the Arab world’s unrest. Here’s the statement in question: 

"There is a control room working for the media and you know where it is — in Tel Aviv," Saleh said live on state television. "These events are managed by the White House.

"We hear statements from President (Barack) Obama asking the Egyptians to do this, telling the Tunisians to do that," Saleh said. "Are you the president of the United States or the president of the Arab world?"

A control room in Tel Aviv? Not really sure how much room there is for misunderstanding there.