UK, Germany withdraw embassy staff from Yemen over unrest

SANAA. March 25. KAZINFORM Germany and the United Kingdom are pulling nonessential embassy staff out of Yemen, they said Thursday, with the British citing "the rapid deterioration in the security situation"; Kazinform refers to CNN.

Both nations are keeping small core staffs in place in Sanaa, they said.

Yemen, a key U.S. ally and a central battleground against al Qaeda, has been wracked by protests since the beginning of the year. Support for President Ali Abdullah Saleh appears to be slipping away.

Saleh has accepted opposition demands for constitutional reforms and holding parliamentary elections by the end of the year, according to a statement issued by his office.

The statement said Saleh was "committed to undertaking all possible initiatives to reach a settlement" with the opposition JMP bloc and "prevent any future bloodshed of the Yemeni people."

According to the statement, Saleh "has accepted the five points submitted by the JMP, including formation of a government of national unity and a national committee to draft a new constitution, drafting a new electoral law, and holding a constitutional referendum, parliamentary elections and a presidential vote by the end of the year.

Saleh's aim would be to "end the current state of political turmoil facing the nation and paving the way for a smooth, peaceful and democratic transition," the statement said.

There was no immediate reaction from the opposition, which previously has demanded Saleh's immediate resignation; Kazinform cites CNN.

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