Protesters in Yemen draw hope from Libya

Tens of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of the Yemeni capital to demand the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, galvanised by the death of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi.

"Ali, it's your turn next, yours and Bashar's," the protesters chanted, referring to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, another regional leader facing "Arab Spring"-style protests.

"Every dictator meets his end," they chanted as they marched through the centre of Sanaa under the protection of dissident troops who have switched their loyalties to the anti-government protesters.

"Gaddafi's death has fired up revolutionaries across the world, but especially in Yemen," said Walid al-Ammari, a spokesman for the youth activists who have spearheaded nine months of protests against Saleh's rule.

"Saleh must draw the lessons from the death of Gaddafi who called the Libyans rats and was finally caught like a rat in a tunnel," he told AFP.

As on most Fridays, the president's supporters held a counter-demonstration after weekly prayers in Sabine Square in the south of the city, which is controlled by loyalist troops.

Friday's protests took place ahead of an expected UN Security Council vote on a British-drafted resolution that condemns the government crackdown on demonstrators and says those responsible should be held accountable, diplomats said.

But the draft resolution, obtained by Reuters, is less than what was demanded in New York on Tuesday by Yemeni protest leader Tawakul Karman, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with two Liberian women earlier this month.

Speaking at a demonstration, Karman made an impassioned plea to the UN for it to repudiate a plan proposed by Gulf Arab states that would grant Saleh immunity from prosecution.

Karman met on Wednesday with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Gerard Araud, the French ambassador to the UN, and other top diplomats to reiterate her demands.

Ban told Karman the United Nations had "a clear stance against impunity for gross human rights violations," the UN press office said in a statement.

'GCC deal's the only game in town'

The draft resolution, if approved, would have the council declare that "all those responsible for violence, human rights violations and abuse should be held accountable."

But it does not refer the matter to the ICC as the council did in the case of former Libyan leader Gaddafi, nor does it provide details on how accountability could be achieved.

Although it does not formally endorse the Gulf Co-operation Council deal that would grant Saleh and people close to him immunity from prosecution, it calls for the immediate signature and implementation of an agreement based on that deal.

"Everyone on the council recognises that there's a need for a political deal in Yemen," a Western diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

"Unfortunately, the GCC deal's the only game in town."

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies